BULLETIN 


OF  THE 


IgLmerican  School  of  Home  Economics 

(tblished  Quarterly  and  entered  at  Chicago  as  Second-class  matter, 
under  Act  of  Congress  of  July  16,  1894 


iHI  bRlES  I 

m 


DECEMBER,  1911 


No.  25 


THE  UP-TO-DATE  HOME 


MONEY  AND  LABOR 
SAVING  APPLIANCES 


v 


( Revised  Edition) 


PRICE,  15  CENTS 


CHICAGO 

506  WEST  SIXTY-NINTH  STREET 
ILLINOIS 


( 


new  ENGLAND  KITCHEN  OP  THE  OLDEN  TIME 


THE  UP-TO-DATE  HOME 

LABOR  AND  MONEY  SAVING  APPLIANCES 

Revised  Edition 

THE  up-to-date  home  is  manifestly  one  which  is  man- 
aged by  an  up-to-date  home-maker.  While  the  aver- 
age home  today  in  point  of  convenience  is  a great 
advance  over  that  of  our  grandmother's  time,  housekeep- 
ing in  general  is,  undeniably,  a belated  industry.  As  stated 
in  the  preface  of  the  Library  of  Home  Economics , “It  is 
realized  that  the  business  of  housekeeping  has  not  kept  pace 
with  the  tremendous  advancement  in  other  lines  of  human 
endeavor,  that  the  wonderful  discoveries  in  science  and 
developments  in  the  arts  only  slowly  and  partially  have  been 
applied  to  the  problems  of  personal  health  and  home  life.” 
It  is  the  purpose  of  the  home-study  courses  of  this  School, 
which  are  now  embodied  in  the  Library , to  enable  home- 
makers to  become  up  to  date  in  their  own  homes.  As  one 
of  our  students  expresses  it,  “Many  of  us  have  missed 
knowing  of  the  great  strides  that  systematized  knowledge 
dealing  with  home-making  has  made  in  the  last  ten  years. 
Such  knowledge  is  rapidly  creeping  into  schools  and  col- 
leges, but  too  late  for  us — and  we  don’t  want  to  be  left 
behind  by  school  girls.” 

The  books  contain  about  3,000  pages,  and  although  to  get 
three  meals  a day  and  keep  things  clean  seems  a simple 
matter,  the  new  “Profession  of  Home-Making”  is  a rather 
inclusive  subject,  which  cannot  well  be  condensed  further 
without  sacrificing  completeness.  All  twelve  of  the  volumes 
are  concerned  chiefly  with  the  saving  of  money  and  labor, 
except  for  the  even  more  important  problems  of  healthful 
living  and  the  care  and  training  of  children.  There  are 
other  good  books — our  Circulating  Library  Department 
contains  over  four  hundred,  but  the  Library  of  Home 
Economics  is  the  only  attempt  to  cover  the  whole  subject 
of  up-to-date  home-making  in  a systematic  way. 

It  is  the  purpose  of  this  Bulletin  to  describe  only  a few 
of  the  household  appliances  recently  put  on  the  market. 

o Copyrighted,  1912,  by  American  School  of  Home  Economics. 

3 


The  point  of  view  is  that  of  the  comfortable  American  home 
such  as  is  described  in  Volume  I,  The  House,  Its  Plan, 
Decoration,  and  Care.  This  house  would  have  modern 
plumbing,  lighting,  and  heating  systems,  as  described  in 
detail  in  Volume  III,  Household  Hygiene. 

The  house  itself  is  the  greatest  factor.  We  do  not  always 
realize  to  what  extent  the  average  American  home  is  supe- 
rior to  that  of  any  other  country  in  convenience  and  in  the 
saving  of  labor.  Even  the  ordinary  kitchen  range  is  by  no 
means  common  in  England,  and  the  high  cost  of  fuel  in 
some  European  countries  makes  it  necessary  to  depend  upon 
public  ovens  to  a considerable  extent.  This,  however,  may 
simplify  housekeeping,  as  more  food  prepared  outside  the 
home  is  used. 


The  farm  home  may  now  have  nearly  all  modern  con- 
veniences at  moderate  expense.  Farmers’  Bulletin  No.  270, 
Modern  Conveniences  for  the  Farm  Home,  gives  general 
estimates  of  cost  of  such  important  conveniences  as  running 
water  and  simple  sewerage  systems.  The  Healthful  Farm- 
house tells  how  an  inconvenient  farmhouse  was  converted 
into  a convenient,  attractive  home  at  small  expense.  (Price 
60  cents.) 


THE  LIBRARY  OF  HOME  ECONOMICS 


4 


HOUSEHOLD  APPLIANCES 

The  advisability  of  purchasing  certain  utensils  is  dis- 
cussed in  Volume  VII,  Household  Management , pages  102- 
113  and  page  195,  but  it  may  be  well  to  consider  a few 
general  principles  here. 

Any  household  appliance  should  save  more  time  and  labor 
than  it  takes  to  adjust  it  and  clean  it  after  use.  There  is 
doubtful  economy  in  using  a meat  grinder  in  making  hash 
for  two.  An  appliance  should  be  used  sufficiently  often  to 
save  more  time  and  trouble  than  it  gives.  A special  turkey 
roaster  used  only  two  or  three  times  a year  is  not  a profit- 
able investment;  when  storage  space  is  limited,  its  room  is 
worth  more  than  its  company.  Many  utensils  and  appli- 
ances which  prove  excellent  investments  in  a large  family 
are  not  so  in  a small  family — the  greater  the  number  the 
greater  is  the  utility  of  labor-saving  appliances.  The  pur- 
chase of  any  utensil  or  apparatus  should  be  made  to  fill  a 
real  want  and  not  because  of  the  alluring  advertisements  or 
fascinating  demonstrations.  Appliances  should  simplify, 
not  complicate,  but  it  must  be  remembered  that  it  usually 
takes  more  skill,  more  brain  work,  to  use  any  appliance  suc- 
cessfully than  to  continue  with  old-time  methods.  The  auto- 
matic home  is  not  a future  possibility. 

Household  appliances  have  been  invented  in  nearly  all 
cases  by  men  to  sell.  Many  of  them  are  worse  than  useless, 
but  more  are  excellent  in  their  right  place.  As  time  goes  on, 
family  living  will  rely  more  and  more  on  labor-saving 
household  appliances.  The  manufacturer  and  farmer  can- 
not afford  to  be  without  the  latest  and  best  labor-saving 
devices.  Competition  and  the  high  cost  of  labor  forces  this 
condition.  Outside  household  labor  is  also  expensive  and 
hard  to  obtain,  but  as  there  is  no  money  value  placed  on  the 
housekeeper’s  time,  many  women  drudge  along  with  no 
conveniences  and  broken-down,  worn-out  appliances.  The 
first  expense  often  prevents  the  purchase  of  appliances  for 
the  household,  but  one  that  is  really  needed  should  be  con- 
sidered as  an  investment.  The  manufacturer  charges  the 
cost  of  a new  machine  to  “plant”  and  distributes  the  expense 
along  a term  of  years,  as  interest  and  depreciation.  The 
same  view  should  be  taken  of  an  investment  for  household 
appliances.  For  example,  the  expense  of  a washing  ma- 

5 


chine  costing  $10.00,  which  might  be  expected  to  last  for 
ten  years,  should  be  reckoned  as  interest  on  the  investment, 
say  60  cents  a year,  and  10  per  cent  for  depreciation  or 
$x  00  so  that  the  yearly  cost  should  be  considered  $1.60 
or  i!  cents  a week.  In  whatever  way  the  expense  may  be 
considered,  a convenience  or  appliance  which  saves  the 
homekeeper  laborious  work  or  gives  time  for  out-of-door 
life  and  recreation  is  a better  investment  than  doctor  s bills 
and  rest  cures. 

KITCHEN  APPLIANCES 

The  greater  part  of  the  work  ofVhe  household  still  centers 
in  the  kitchen  in  the"  preparation  of  the  food  and  the  washing 
of  the  dishes. 

Fireless  Cookers 

A Norwegian  cooking  box  is  illustrated  on  page  13  of 
Principles  of  Cookery,  and  in  the  supplement  in  the  same 
volume,  page  152,  an  extract  is  given  from  the  consular 
report  which  stimulated  all  the  present  interest  in  fireless 

. . t~'  11  1 ’ ± \ r,  ^ 1-^,  o-pron  n 1 crv  for  TTKlKinS?'  cl  IK  I 

o A 


cooking.  Full  directions  are  given  also  for  makin 
using  a fireless  cooker. 


The  principle  of  operation  of  these  cookers  is  an  old  one. 
It  is  simply  to  retain  the  heat  in  the  food  itself  and  in  die 
water,  obtained  by  the  preliminary  boiling.  Cooking  opera- 
tions use  little  or  no  heat  in  the  sense  that  heat  is  used  in 
raising  the  temperature  of  water  or  in  keeping  it  boiling,  so 
that  if  the  heat  can  be  prevented  from  escaping,  the  changes 
of  cooking  will  take  place  without  the  addition  o i more  head 
As  stated  on  page  13,  Chemistry  of  the  Household  Water 
has  a much  greater  capacity  for  absorbing  heat  than  any 
other  common  substance.  For  example,  one  pound  of  water 
will  absorb  ten  times  as  much  heat  in  being  raised  one  degree 
Fahrenheit  as  one  pound  of  iron.”  Elsewhere  in  this  volume 


and  in  Principles  of  Cookery, 


cooking  below  the  boiling 


ana  m r r iu uj  > y — <=>.  A 

point  is  recommended,  especially  for  tough  meat  and  eggs 
Starch  begins  to  cook  at  I50°;x85°.  F.  ^ the  «cpenmentS 
made  by  Miss  Sprague,  described  in  the  Bulletin,  A Pre 
cise  Method  of  Roasting  Beef,  it  was  found  that 
interior  of  a “rare”  roast  reaches  only  148  F.,  and  a well 
done  roast  174°  F.  Consequently  it  is  apparent  that  r.earh 
all  cooking  mav  be  done  at  a less  temperature  chan  the  bod 
ing  point  of  water,  212°  F.  Of  course  it  requires  the  hig 

6 


temperature  of  the  oven  or  griddle  to  produce  the  flavor 
and  brown  crust  of  bread,  cake,  and  meat.  Not  everything 
:an  be  cooked  satisfactorily  in  the  old  style  fireless  cook- 
stove — only  the  things  that  are  usually  cooked  in  water. 
However,  all  of  the  manufacturers  now  furnish  their  cookers 
with  metal  or  soapstone  plates  which  may  be  heated  to  a 
sigh  temperature  so  that  baking  and  browning  of  meats, 
aread  and  cake  can  be  done  satisfactorily. 

It  is  especially  important  that  the  vessels  used  be  tightly 
:overed,  for  water  as  steam  or  vapor  carries  away  a large 
quantity  of  heat  as  “latent  heat.”  (See  Chemistry  of  the 
Household , pages  12,  138,  and  152.)  Naturally,  the  greater 


THE  “RAPID'’  FIRELESS  COOKER,  PRICE  $11.85 

quantity  of  boiling  water,  the  more  heat  there  is  to  be 
retained  and  the  longer  the  heat  is  kept  up  to  the  cooking 
:emperaure.  The  preliminary  boiling  must  be  continued 
efficiently  long  for  the  food  to  be  heated  through,  other- 
wise the  cooler  interior  of  the  food  will  reduce  the  tempera- 
:ure  of  the  water  below  the  cooking  point.  The  time  re- 
quired varies  from  about  five  minutes,  for  small  vegetables 
md  grains,  to  half  an  hour  or  longer,  for  a ham  or  large 
liece  of  meat.  It  is  sometimes  advisable  to  reheat  to  the 
Doiling  temperature,  three  or  four  hours  after  the  first  heat- 
ng,  when  very  long  cooking  is  required.  If  there  is  con- 
siderable water  present,  foods  will  remain  sufficiently  hot  for 

7 


serving  in  five  to  eight  hours.  When  food  is  left  in  the 
cooker  over  night,  it  is  usually  necessary  to  reheat  before 
serving. 

In  some  experiments  made  by  Miss  Bertha  M.  Terrill  on 
fireless  cooking  at  the  University  of  Chicago,  it  was  found 
that  the  gas  consumption  for  the  preliminary  boiling  was  as 
follows : 

Oatmeal  2 cups  5 m-  i cu-  ft- 

Beets  6 15  “ 1 “ 

Stew  (lamb)  2 lbs.  15  “ 1 

Ham  5 “ 30  “ 2 “ 

Further  experiments  showed  that  the  “simmering”  tem- 
perature could  be  kept  up  with  a consumption  of  about  2 
cu.  ft.  of  gas  per  hour.  For  “just  boiling”  from  3 to  4 
cu.  ft.  per  hour  was  required.  These  figures  allow  an  esti- 
mate to  be  made  of  the  saving  in  fuel  by  the  use  of  a fire- 
less cooker.  For  example,  the  5 lb.  ham  cooked  entirely 
on  the  gas  stove  would  require  2 cu.  ft.  of  gas  to  heat  the 
water  and  boil  it  30  minutes,  and  about  6 cu.  ft.  to  boil  it 
slowly  for  two  hours — total  8 cu.  ft.  Cooked  with  the  aid 
of  the  fireless  cooker,  the  gas  consumption  would  be  2 cu. 
ft.,  or  only  one-fourth  as  much. 

To  boil  the  lamb  stew  15  minutes  and  keep  it  at  simmer- 
ing temperature  an  hour  would  require  3 cu.  ft.  of  gas; 
cooked  in  the  fireless  cooker,  1 cu.  ft.,  or  one-third.  These 
figures  represent  the  minimum  saving,  with  gas  used  care- 
fully. In  the  same  series  of  experiments,  it  was  found  that 
the  double  burner  of  the  gas  stove  turned  on  full  consumed 
gas  at  about  the  rate  of  30  cu.  ft.  per  hour,  and  the  inner 
jet  at  17  cu.  ft.  per  hour.  As  the  gas  is  often  left  turned 
on  full  when  cooking,  the  saving  in  most  cases  would  prob- 
ably be  more  than  two-thirds  or  three-fourths. 

When  using  “hot  plates”  for  baking  or  roasting,  it  takes 
from  ten  to  twenty  minutes  to  heat  the  plates  to  the  required 
temperature,  or  from  2 to  4 cu-  ft-  °f  §as-  This  is  about 
half  the  amount  required  for  similar  baking  in  a small 
portable  oven,  and  one-fourth  or  one-fifth  of  that  required 
for  the  large  oven  of  an  ordinary  gas  range. 

The  great  advantages  of  fireless  cooking  are  the  saving 
of  time  and  attention,  better  results  in  some  cases,  preven- 
tion of  over-cooking  and  burning,  and  hot  foods  ready  when 

8 


CYLINDER  TYPE  FIRELESS  COOKER 


BENCH  TYPE  FIRELESS  COOKER 

The  ‘'Caloric,”  Aluminoid  Lined  with  Aluminum  Utensils.  The 
aluminum  utensils  with  clamped  covers  can  be  purchased  separately 
for  home-made  cookers. 


wanted.  The  disadvantages  are  that  the  cooking  has  to 
be  started  two  or  three  hours  before  the  foods  are  served, 
so  that  more  forethought  is  needed. 

There  are  a great  many  of  these  fireless  cookers  now  on 
the  market,  as  may  be  noted  from  the  advertisements  in  the 
magazines.  They  give  a little  better  results  than  home- 
made cookers,  because  of  better  construction,  better  pack- 
ing material,  and  especially  adapted  utensils.  The  heat 
insulating  materials  now  most  commonly  used  are  mineral 
wool  or  asbestos.  Because  of  their  compactness,  the  factory- 
made  cookers  are  more  convenient  than  home-made  cookers. 

The  insulation  will  keep  out  heat  as  well  as  retain  it  and 
so  the  cookers  may  be  used  as  ice-cream  freezers. 


Hot  Dinner  Pail.  “Indur-  U.  S.  Fireless  Cooker  of 

ated  Fiber.”  Price  $3.00  Indurated  Fiber 

Of  the  various  styles  of  factory  made  fireless  cookers 
the  “bench”  type  with  two  or  three  compartments  seem 
to  be  most  popular.  Only  one  cooking  utensil  is  usuall 
placed  in  each  compartment,  so  that  it  is  easy  to  get  a 
them.  The  deep  type  of  fireless  cooker,  either  cylindrica 
or  square,  in  which  one  utensil  is  placed  on  top  of  anothei 
maintains  the  heat  at  cooking  temperature  a little  longer 
provided  it  is  completely  filled,  but  it  is  not  quite  so  con 
venient  to  use.  Of  the  bench  type  of  cookers,  the  “Rapid 
is  an  excellent  low  price  cooker.  The  “Detroit  Cooker’  i 
lined  with  copper  and  the  “Jewel”  is  lined  throughout  wit! 
aluminum.  The  “Seely”  and  the  “Republic”  are  example 
of  the  deep  style  of  cookers. 

10 


Practically  all  the  factory  made  cookers  are  now  lined 
with  metal  and  are  furnished  with  aluminum  utensils.  The 
three  compartment  cookers  cost  from  $12.00  to  $15.00,  or 
$18.00,  and  to  make  the  purchase  of  one  of  them  a good 
investment,  it  is  necessary  to  use  it  a good  deal,  practically 
every  day.  If  a fireless  cooker  is  used  only  occasionally, 
it  is  best  to  purchase  a one  compartment  affair  costing  $6.00 
to  $8.00,  or  less. 

A number  of  the  cookers  on  the  market  are  lined  with 
so  called  “aluminoid.”  This  is  simply  sheet  iron  coated 
with  zinc  by  a special  process.  The  material  lasts  well  if 
given  care,  but  will  rust  if  not  wiped  out  after  using  and 
allowed  to  dry. 

Home-Made  Fireless  Cookers 

A fireless  cooker  which  will  save  time  and  fuel  may  be 
improvised  at  home  without  difficulty.  A tight,  deep  box 
with  cover,  or  a small  trunk,  may  be  used,  and  for  packing, 
any  non-conducting  material  will  serve,  such  as  fine  hay, 
excelsior,  feathers,  sawdust,  or  even  crumpled  newspaper. 
It  is  a good  plan,  as  described  by  Miss  Barrows,  in  Prin- 
ciples of  Cookery , to  use  bags  or  pillow  ticks  for  holding  the 
packing  material.  There  should  be  at  least  four  inches  of 
packing  material  on  all  sides  and  over  and  under  the  pail 
or  kettle. 

An  excellent  cooker  may  be  made  very  easily  from  a 
sugar  barrel  and  excelsior.  They  have  been  made  in  a 
number  of  domestic  science  schools  and  are  used  for  cook- 
ing all  hams,  tongues,  etc.,  and  for  making  soup  stock  for 
the  lunch  rooms  at  Chautauqua. 

After  loosening  clean  excelsior,  pack  about  eight  inches 
firmly  in  the  bottom  of  the  barrel.  Place  a fifteen  to  twenty 
quart  pail  in  the  center  and  pack  excelsior  very  firmly 
all  around,  even  with  the  top.  A sack  of  bed  ticking  filled 
with  excelsior  or  other  material  to  place  over  the  top  com- 
pletes the  cooker.  The  excelsior  mats  so  well  that  the  pail 
may  be  removed  a large  number  of  times  and  replaced 
without  the  necessity  of  repacking. 

The  pail  should  have  a tight  cover — the  tighter  the  better. 
One  or  two  shallow  dishes  with  or  without  covers  could  be 
placed  in  the  larger  pail,  supported  by  a wire  stand,  so  that 

11 


the  cooker  could  be  used  for  several  things  at  the  same 
time.  A flour  barrel  would  serve  equally  well  for  making 
a smaller  cooker  containing  a ten  or  twelve  quart  pail.  One 
of  our  students  reports  making  a very  successful  cooker  in 
a corner  of  the  window  box  in  her  kitchen. 

A home-made  fireless  cooker  in  which  hot  plates  are  to 
be  used  should  be  packed  with  mineral  wool  or  asbestos, 
which  can  usually  be  obtained  from  dealers  in  heating 
apparatus.  Then  instead  of  any  lining  there  should  be  a 
metal  pail  with  cover  in  which  to  place  the  hot  plates  and 
cooking  utensils. 

Aluminum  utensils  for  home-made  cookers  may  now  be 
purchased  through  dealers  or  direct  of  the  Aluminum  Cook- 
ing Utensil  Company,  New  Kensington,  Pa. 

All  fireless  cookers  must  be  opened  for  airing  and  drying 
after  use,  otherwise  they  become  musty. 

Gas  and  Electric  Fireless  Cookers 

A considerable  advance  in  the  fireless  cooking  idea  is  the 
development  of  gas  and  electric  stoves  with  insulated  ovens, 


COMET  ELECTRIC  FIRELESS  COOKER 
(Price  $35.) 


so  that  after  the  preliminary  heating  with  gas  or  electricity, 
the  source  of  heat  is  cut  off  and  the  oven  closed  up,  leaving 
the  food  to  finish  cooking  with  the  ^stored  heat.  Thus  all 
the  advantages  of  a regular  stove  and  fireless  cooker  are 
combined,  and  considerable  economy  of  fuel  results.  In- 
deed, it  looks  as  if  practical  electric  cooking  would  come 
through  means  of  the  fireless  cooker  principle. 

The  only  fireless  gas  cooker  stove  which  we  have  found 

13 


on  the  market  is  The  Chambers  Fireless  Cooker’ Gas  Stove, 
sold  by  the  Domestic  Supply  Company,  Chicago.  All  sizes 
are  made,  from  single  oven,  which  costs  $20.00,  to  gas 
ranges  costing  $35.00  to  $60.00,  also  large  combinations  for 
hotels  containing  many  ovens. 

There  are  four  electric  fireless  cookers  now  on  the  mar- 
ket, one  made  in  Buchanan,  Michigan ; The  Comet  Electric 
Fireless  Cooker,  and  The  Detroit  Electric  Fireless  Cooker, 


COPEMAN  ELECTRIC  FIRELESS  STOVE.  PRICE  $75.00 

both  made  in  Detroit,  and  The  Copeman,  made  at  Flint, 
Michigan.  All  of  these  electric  fireless  cookers  have  an 
alarm  clock  arrangement  to  shut  of?  the  electricity  after 
a certain  time,  depending  on  what  is  being  cooked.  The 
Detroit  Cooker  has  an  arrangement  whereby  the  current  is 
both  turned  on  and  turned  off  automatically.  The  arrange- 
ment of  The  Copeman  is  even  more  complete,  for  the  cur- 
rent may  be  turned  on  automatically  at  any  given  time,  and 
when  the  temperature  of  the  oven  reaches  the  desired  point, 
a thermostat  in  the  oven  shuts  off  the  current,  leaving  the 
food  to  cook  at  the  proper  temperature  without  further  at- 
tention. Thus  it  is  possible  to  start  a breakfast  in  the 
middle  of  the  night  and  have  it  ready  in  the  morning,  or  to 

14 


cook  the  dinner  in  the  afternoon  while  the  housekeeper  is 
away  shopping  or  calling.  When  she  arrives  home,  all  that 
is  necessary  is  to  serve  the  dinner ! 

The  price  of  the  Copeman  is  $75.00  and  the  others  from 
$16.00  to  $35.00  or  more,  depending  on  the  size  and  number 
of  ovens. 

Steam  Cookers 

A good  steam  cooker  is  a useful  appliance,  especially 
after  one  gets  into  the  habit  of  using  it.  Both  the  cylin- 
drical type  and  the  square  type  with  doors  are  illustrated 
in  Principles  of  Cookery.  Tests  made  with  one  of  the  square 
cookers — the  Ideal — showed  that  fuel  economy  with  gas 
amounted  to  about  one-third,  in  comparison  to  using  sep- 
arate dishes  for  the  things  cooked.  There  would  have  been 
a greater  saving  but  for  the  fact  that  about  one-fifth  more 
time  is  required  to  cook  by  steam  than  by  boiling  in  water. 

A very  ingenious  appliance  is  the  Culver  Steam  Cooker. 
It  is  of  the  cylindrical  type  and  has  an  outside  reservior 


which  contains  the  reserve  water  supply,  which  is  fed  in 
automatically  as  needed.  There  is  a water-sealed  cover  and 
the  steam  passes  down  an  outside  tube  and  bubbles  up 
through  the  water  reservoir  in  plain  sight.  As  the  rate  of 
operation  can  be  seen  by  the  number  of  bubbles  appearing, 
the  gas  consumption  can  be  regulated  to  a nicety.  It  was 
found  that  with  a gas  consumption  of  only  three  feet  an 
hour,  the  cooker  could  be  operated  successfully.  The  re- 

15 


serve  supply  of  water  enables  this  cooker  to  be  run  for  four 
or  five  hours  without  attention,  or  even  over  night,  if  run 
very  slowly. 

Steam  cooking  is  particularly  good  for  sweet-flavored 
vegetables,  tough  meat,  fish,  and  so  on.  The  advantages  of 
steam  cooking  are  that  there  is  no  danger  of  burning,  fuel 
economy,  and  long,  thorough  cooking.  Meats  shrink  in 
volume  much  less  than  when  boiled  or  roasted.  The  juices 
extracted  in  steaming  meat,  chicken,  and  fish  make  especially 
delicious  broths. 

The  Buffalo  Steam  Cereal  Cooker  is  an  excellent  appli- 
ance. It  is  made  in  aluminum  as  well  as  in  tin  and  has  an 
egg  poacher  arrangement  and  other  devices. 

Small  Ovens 

Fuel  economy  is  discussed  in  the  supplement  of  Principles 
of  Cookery  and  the  comparative  value  of  fuels  is  given  in 
Chemistry  of  the  Household,  page  28.  The  Fireless  Cooker 


LADY  ELGIN  OVEN 
Inside  measure,  12x12  inches.  Price  $1.50 


and  Steam  Cooker  are  both  fuel  savers.  There  remains  to 
be  mentioned  a small  portable  oven,  like  the  “Lady  Elgin 
Oven,”  for  use  on  top  of  gas,  gasoline,  or  alcohol  stove. 
When  there  is  much  baking  to  be  done  there  is  no  economy 

16 


in  using  such  small  ovens  rather  than  the  large  oven  of  the 
gas  stove,  but  for  baking  one  or  two  dishes  only,  there  is 
considerable  fuel  economy. 

With  this  small  oven  the  gas  consumption  for  baking  pan 
of  muffins  was  i cu.  ft.  for  heating  the  oven,  and  3 cu.  ft. 
for  baking  twenty  minutes.  With  gas  at  $1.00  per  thou- 
sand cu.  ft.  the  cost  was  0.4  cents. 

The  gas  consumed  in  the  large  oven  of  the  gas  stove  was 
4 cu.  ft.  for  heating  the  oven,  and  7^2  cu.  ft.  for  baking 
twenty  minutes.  With  gas  at  the  same  price,  the  cost  was 
1. 1 5 cents  or  nearly  three  times  as  much  as  in  the  small 
oven.  A chemical  thermometer  can  easily  be  inserted 
through  the  top  of  these  sheet  iron  ovens  and  the  tempera- 
ture can  be  regulated  so  that  the  tendencies  of  these  small 
ovens  to  burn  can  be  overcome. 

Bread  Toasters 

The  saving  of  gas  by  using  one  of  the  small  bread  toasters 
rather  than  the  oven  or  broiler  of  the  gas  stove  is  consider- 


Gas  Bread  Toaster.  Price,  25c. 

able,  and  the  toast  is  more  quickly  made  and  better.  The 
coffee  may  be  heated  on  the  top  while  toasting  bread. 

PAPER  BAG  COOKERY 

The  magazines  recently  have  had  a great  deal  to  say  about 
the  Soyer  method  of  paper  bag  cooking,  the  supposed  advan- 
tages of  which  are  saving  of  fuel,  saving  all  dishwashing  of 
baking  dishes,  no  odor  of  cooking,  no  shrinkage  in  weight, 
and  superior  results. 

From  our  experience  it  would  seem  that  some  of  these 
claims  were  hardly  justified,  and  it  remains  to  be  proved 
whether  cooking  in  paper  bags  is  but  a passing  fad  or  a new 
method  which  may  be'  applied  permanently  to  everyday 
cooking. 


17 


As  to  saving  of  fuel,  we  feel  that  many  of  the  claims  are 
extravagant.  Using  the  oven  for  cooking,  unless  the  oven 
is  filled,  requires  more  fuel  than  cooking  on  top  of  the  stove 
in  boiling  water  or  in  a steamer.  Doubtless  a little  less  gas 
is  used  when  everything  is  enclosed  in  paper  bags  than  when 
left  in  open  dishes,  because  there  is  not  so  much  water 
vapor  given  off.  But  the  special  bags  required  cost  about 
two  cents  each,  and  if,  say,  four  bags  are  used,  the  expense 
for  them  alone  equals  the  entire  expense  for  heating  the 
oven  with  gas  for  two  or  three  hours. 

The  bags  must  be  thoroughly  greased  inside  before  using 
and  should  be  placed  on  a rack  of  fine  wire  or  in  a baking 
dish,  and  it  is  a question  whether  it  takes  less  time  or  is  more 
agreeable  to  grease  a bag  than  to  wash  a baking  dish. 
Nearly  all  the  advantages  of  the  paper  bag  may  be  obtained 
by  cooking  and  serving  in  covered  casseroles.  The  casserole 
is  usually  no  harder  to  wash  than  the  serving  dish  required 
when  paper  bags  are  user1.  Indeed,  casseroles  should  be 
used  more  than  they  are  at  present.  With  reasonable  care 
they  should  cost  no  more  in  the  end  than  the  paper  bags. 

Cooking  in  paper  bags  for  some  things  undoubtedly  gives 
very  superior  results.  The  process  is  a combination  of 
steaming  and  roasting,  and  as  would  naturally  be  expected, 
paper  bag  cookery  is  especially  successful  in  cooking  tough 
meats,  fish  and  delicate  flavored  vegetables.  The  method 
is  interesting  and  certainly  worth  trying.  Special  bags  of 
parchment  paper  are  required.  These  may  be  obtained 
in  many  places  or  through  the  School — one  dozen  for  thirty 
cents,  postpaid.  “Soyer’s  Paper  Bag  Cooking’’  may  be  bor- 
rowed of  us  by  members  for  six  cents  postage.  It  may  be 
purchased  through  the  School  by  anyone  for  sixty  cents, 
postpaid. 

The  Strandusky  Waterless  Cooker  used  on  top  of  the 
stove  gives  somewhat  the  same  results  as  paper  bag  cookery. 

EFFICIENCY  IN  HEATING  WATER  WITH  GAS 

Some  very  interesting  experiments  have  been  made  by 
Professor  Judson  C.  Dickerman,  of  the  University  of  Wis- 
consin, on  the  efficiency  in  the  use  of  gas  for  heating  water. 

The  experiments  were  made  by  heating  two  pounds  of 
water  to  200°  F.  in  covered  dishes  of  various  sizes  and 
materials  and  measuring  the  gas  consumed.  Knowing  the 

18 


heat  units  of  the  gas  and  the  heat  units  required  to  raise 
the  temperature  of  the  water,  the  percentage  of  heat  taken 
up  by  the  water  was  easily  calculated.  The  following  are 
some  of  the  results : 


Burner 

514  in.  Diam., 
3%  in.  Diam., 
Bunsen  Burner, 


Efficiency  in  Heating  Water 


Tin  Dish 
6Y2  in.  Diam. 
28.2% 
34.5% 


Aluminum 
6 y2  in.  Diam. 
~ 30.1  % 


Blue  Enamel  White  Enamel 
6%  in.  Diam.  11  in.  Diam. 
29.7%  40.5% 

45.5% 

38.3%  52.0% 


In  these  experiments  the  gas  was  burned  in  the  5)4 -inch 
burner  at  the  rate  of  22  feet  per  hour;  in  the  324-inch 


A BATH  INSTANTANEOUS  HOT  WATER  HEATER 


burner  at  the  rate  of  18.5  feet  per  hour,  and  in  the  Bunsen 
burner  at  the  rate  of  16  feet  per  hour.  This  was  with  the 
gas  turned  on  full  (but  not  with  the  flame  streaming  around 
the  sides  of  the  dish).  When  the  flame  was  turned  down 
about  one-half  and  the  water  heated  more  slowly,  it  was 
found  that  the  efficiency  in  all  cases  was  somewhat  less. 

It  is  apparent  that  the  material  of  which  the  utensil  is 
constructed  made  very  little  difference  in  these  experiments. 
One  would  suppose  that  the  tin  and  aluminum  dishes  would 
give  somewhat  higher  efficiency  than  the  enameled  ware, 
but  this  did  not  seem  to  be  the  case.  It  was  found  that  an 
old  rusty  dish,  and  one  that  was  somewhat  coated  with  the 
deposit  from  hard  water,  gave  about  the  same  results  as  a 
clean  dish.  Using  a new,  bright  tin  dish,  the  efficiency  was 

19 


less  than  when  the  bottom  became  colored  by  the  flame. 
Leaving  off  the  cover  of  the  dish  decreased  the  efficiency 
about  io  per  cent. 

The  important  factor  seemed  to  be  the  relation  of  the 


SAFETY  GAS  LIGHTER.  Price  $1.00 


diameter  of  the  flame  to  that  of  the  dish — the  greater  the 
diameter  of  the  dish  in  comparison  to  that  of  the  gas  burner 
the  higher  the  percentage  of  heat  absorbed.  This  suggests 
that  it  costs  less  to  heat  the  water  for  dish  washing  in  a 
covered  dish  pan  than  in  the  tea  kettle ; that  it  is  more 
economical  to  use  the  small  single  burners  on  the  gas  stove 
than  the  wide  double  burner.  It  would  reduce  gas  consump- 
tion if  gas  stoves  were  made  with  two  or  three  small, 
straight  tube  burners  like  the  “simmerer”  burner,  instead 
of  one.  The  wide  type  of  burners  are  used  so  that  the  heat 
will  not  be  concentrated  in  one  spot,  which  would  give  a 
tendency  to  burn  foods,  and  also  that  the  dish  may  be  placed 
near  the  burner.  The  common  type  of  “mushroom”  burn- 
ers, constructed  so  as  to  spread  the  flame,  such  as  are  com- 
monly used-  in  cooking  school  laboratories,  are  not  as 
economical  as  a plain  Bunsen  burner. 

Varying  the  mixture  of  gas  -and  air  at  the  burner  seems 
to  have  little  effect  on  the  efficiency. 

Other  experiments  were  made  in  heating  water  with  a 
bath  instantaneous  water  heater,  in  which  the  products  of 

20 


combustion  come  in  contact  with  the  water.  It  was  found 
that  the  efficiency  was  as  high  as  90  per  cent.  With  this 
heater  there  was  found  to  be  as  much  as  2.5  per  cent  of 
poisonous  carbon  monoxide  found  in  the  flue  gases  when 
the  water  was  run  through  the  heater  rapidly,  so  that  such 
heaters  must  always  be  connected  with  a flue  to  the  outside 

The  automatic  instantaneous  gas  heaters  which  furnish 
hot  water  all  over  the  house  on  the  turn  of  the  faucet  give 
an  efficiency  of  about  80  per  cent. 

Tests  made  on  a water  heater  of  the  type  used  in  connec- 
tion with  the  reservoir  for  hot  water  system,  gave  a heating 
efficiency  of  about  65  per  cent.  This  indicates  that  it  is  less 
expensive  as  well  as  more  convenient  to  obtain  hot  water 
in  a special  appliance  when  gas  is  used. 

GAS  LIGHTERS 

The  German  chemists  have  utilized  a rather  uncommon 
metal,  cereum,  in  making  an  alloy,  which  gives  off  sparks 


SAFETY  GAS  LIGHTER.  Price  25  Cents 


very  easily  when  rubbed  with  a file.  The  sparks  will  ignite 
gas,  gasoline  or  wood  alcohol,  but  nothing  else.  A good 
many  kinds  of  cigar  lighters  have  been  put  on  the  market 
and  the  Safety  Gas  Lighting  Co.,  of  Haverhill,  Mass.,  was 

21 


one  of  the  first  to  utilize  this  new  metal  in  making  a gas 
lighter  for  household  use.  They  are  very  convenient,  for 
all  you  have  to  do  is  to  turn  on  the  gas  and  press  the  lighter 
over  the  burner,  when  the  gas  ignites.  This  saves  the 
danger  from  having  matches  around,  the  nuisance  of  burnt 
matches,  saves  time,  and  the  lighters  cost  no  more  than 
matches. 

Various  types  of  lighters  are  made — the  best  one  costs 
$1.00 ; a very  satisfactory  kind  is  priced  at  25c,  and  a still 
cheaper  one  sells  for  15c,  all  postpaid.  The  lighting  element 
usually  called  “flint”  wears  out  after  5,000  to  10,000  applica- 
tions, but  may  be  renewed  at  a cost  of  from  5c  to  25c.  We 
have  tested  this  lighter  for  about  a year  and  would  not  try 
to  get  along  without  it.  A number  of  imitations  have  been 
put  on  the  market  which  do  not  give  satisfactory  service 
nor  last  very  long. 

ALCOHOL  AS  FUEL 

At  the  time  of  the  passage  of  the  denatured*  alcohol  bill 
by  Congress  great  things  were  predicted  of  it  for  use  as 
fuel  and  in  lighting,  but  at  present  “industrial  alcohol”  costs 
about  65  cents  a gallon  in  small  quantities  and  50  cents  a 
gallon  by  the  barrel.  As  alcohol  (94  per  cent)  has  only 
about  two-thirds  the  fuel  value  of  gasoline  or  kerosene  by 
volume,  and  as  it  requires  eight  to  ten  gallons  of  alcohol 
to  equal  1,000  cubic  feet  of  illuminating  gas  in  heating 
power,  it  cannot  at  present  be  considered  an  economical  fuel. 

However,  many  homes  do  not  have  gas.  Alcohol  is  more 
pleasant  to  handle  and  safer  than  gasoline,  so  that  alcohol 
stoves  may  be  used  to  advantage  for  “light  housekeeping.” 
In  an  article  published  in  Harper's  Weekly,  October  3,  1908, 
Mr.  Charles  Barnard  states  that  all  the  cooking  for  a family 
of  three  was  done  with  an  average  of  one  gallon  of  alcohol 
per  week.  This  was  with  the  help  of  a steam  cooker  and 
fireless  cooker. 

No  doubt  the  price  of  industrial  alcohol  will  be  reduced 
materially  in  the  course  of  a few  years.  It  is  said  to  be  sold 
in  Germany  for  as  low  as  25  cents  a gallon.  There  is  an 
interesting  U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture  Bulletin  on 
Industrial  Alcohol. 

♦Denatured  or  industrial  alcohol  is  ordinary  grain  alcohol  rendered  unfit 
for  drinking  by  the  addition  of  about  10%  of  wood  alcohol  and  1/^%  ben- 
zine. 

22 


The  one  burner  alcohol  stoves  with  reservoir  cost  from 
$3.50  to  $5.00,  depending  on  the  finish.  They  are  con- 
venient to  use  on  the  breakfast  table  for  making  coffee, 
toast,  cooking  eggs,  and  the  like.  The  two  burner  stoves 
cost  from  $7.00  to  $10.00.  These  burn  a mixture  of  alcohol 
vapor  and  air,  and  give  a better  heating  efficiency  than  a 
wick  burner. 


ELECTRIC  UTENSILS 

Chafing  two  boats,  taking  220  or  575  watts  per  hour.  Price  about 

$9.00.  Coffee  Percolator,  300  watts.  Price,  about  $10.00 

Lamps  are  now  offered  for  burning  alcohol.  They  have 
an  incandescent  mantle  and  give  a brilliant  light. 

ELECTRIC  COOKING 

Much  can  be  said  of  the  convenience  and  cleanliness  of 
electrical  cooking.  In  an  increasing  number  of  places  a 


HUGHES  TOASTER  STOVE.  Price  $3.75 
23 


02 

o 


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O 

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02 

02 

02 

W 

tl 

w 

PS 


o h 

pH  >, 

g 5 

ft  d 

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02 

fl 


special  low  rate  is  made  when  the  electric  current  is  used 
for  cooking.  When  the  electricity  can  be  obtained  for  4 or 
5 cents  per  k.  w.  (kilowatt  = 1,000  watts)  the  cooking  may 
all  be  done  with  electricity  at  reasonable  expense,  but  even 
then  the  expense  is  somewhat  higher  than  with  gas  at  $1.00 
per  1,000  feet,  unless  an  electric  fireless  cooker  is  used. 

It  is  not  generally  known  that  17  kilowatts  of  electric 
current  will  yield  only  as  many  heat  units  as  100  cubic  feet 
of  gas,  so  that  even  with  the  best  of  electric  appliances  and 
at  the  lowest  rate  electricity  is  an  expensive  source  of  heat. 


HUGHES  THREE  BURNER  ELECTRIC  STOVE  AND  OVEN 

At  the  higher  lighting  rate,  utensils  which  are  used  for  a 
short  time  only,  as  the  electric  toaster,  chafing  dish  or  coffee 
percolator,  may  be  used  at  small  expense. 

Electric  cooking  is  coming  nearer  to  being  a practical 
utility  year  by  year.  New  alloys  for  the  wires  of  the  heating 
units  are  being  made,  which  are  less  liable  to  burn  out  than 
the  alloys  used  at  first. 

A distinct  step  in  advance  are  the  electric  stoves  of  the 

25 


Hughes  Electric  Heating  Company  of  Chicago.  In  their 
stoves  the  coils  of  wire  are  exposed  to  view,  but  are  sunk 
in  grooves  of  asbestos-soapstone  composition.  When  the 
switch  is  turned  the  coils  of  wire  become  red  hot,  so  that 
it  is  easy  to  see  when  the  current  is  on.  Ordinary  cooking 
utensils  may  be  placed  on  these  “burners”  just  as  on  a gas 
stove.  The  heat  is  transmitted  both  as  radiant  heat  and  by 
conduction.  If  the  coils  become  damaged,  or  when  they 
wear  oat,  they  may  be  replaced  with  new  ones  costing  ten 
cents  each  by  anyone  who  can  use  a screw  driver. 

As  no  special  utensils  need  be  furnished  with  the  Hughes 
stoves,  the  prices  are  less  than  for  other  electric  cook  stoves, 
the  list  prices  being  from  $60.00  for  a three  burner  range 
with  oven  and  broiler,  to  $100.00  for  a four  burner  cabinet 
range  with  high  oven,  broiler  and  warming  closet. 

They  also  make  a small  radiant  toaster-stove  using  500 
watts  per  hour,  for  which  the  price  is  $3.75,  or  with  a nickel 
plated  griddle  to  fit  the  stove  and  nickel  tray,  $4.50.  This 
seems  to  us  to  be  the  best  value  we  have  found  in  a small 
electric  stove.  It  is  attractive  in  appearance,  can  be  attached 
to  any  lamp  socket,  and  may  be  used  on  the  table  for  cook- 
ing anything  desired.  It  makes  most  superior  toast.  The 
legs  are  detachable,  so  that  the  stove  is  easy  to  pack  for 
traveling. 

Many  electric  companies  ate  now  making  stoves, 
toasters  and  other  household  appliances,  among  them  being 
the  General  Electric  Company,  the  Simplex  Electric  Com- 
pany, Westinghouse  Electric  Company,  Pacific  Electric 
Company,  etc.  Electric  appliances  in  most  cases  may  be 
purchased  to  good  advantage  through  local  electric  light 
companies,  as  they  are  interested  in  increasing  the  use  of 
current  and  sometimes  sell  appliances  at  about  the  cost  to 
them. 

KITCHEN  UTENSILS 

Among  the  many  newer  kitchen  utensils,  two  stand  prom- 
inently of  approved  value — the  bread  mixer  and  food 
grinder  (chopper). 

We  have  tested  the  Universal  Bread  Mixer  and  have  a 
number  of  favorable  reports  from  our  members  on  this 
particular  make  and  on  others.  The  general  consensus  of 
opinion  is  that  the  bread  mixer  saves  time  and  labor  and  is 

26 


Sink  Strainer  ; keeps  garbage 
from  clogging  sink  and  pipes. 


Slaw  Cutter,  knife  adjustable  to 
cut  fine  or  coarse* 


Household  Scales 


A FEW  KITCHEN  UTENSILS 


27 


more  sanitary,  because  the  hands  are  kept  out  of  the  bread ; 
it  is  easily  cleaned  and  the  results  are  as  good  and  more 


USEFUL  COOKING  UTENSILS 


certain  than  when  the  bread  is  made  entirely  by  hand.  If 
home-made  bread  is  used  the  greater  part  of  the  time,  a 
bread  mixer  is  a good  investment. 

For  some  things  the  food  chopper  does  not  give  quite  as 
good  results  as  the  old-fashioned  chopping  bowl  and  chop- 
per, as  the  food  is  sometimes  crushed  rather  badly.  This 
is  often  because  the  machine  is  adjusted  to  make  too  fine  a 


UNIVERSAL  BREAD  MIXER.  ‘IMPROVED  ECONOMY”  COL< 

No.  4.  Price  $2.00  ANDER.  Price  $2.00 


cut.  There  is  not  much  to  choose  between  the  various 
makes,  the  Universal,  Enterprise,  Simmons,  etc.  All  are 

28 


fairly  easily  cleaned  and  have  several  knives  for  cutting  to 
different  degrees  of  fineness.  The  Rollman  Manufacturing 
Co.  make  a food  chopper,  the  container  of  which  opens, 
making  it  especially  easy  to  clean.  The  “Steinfeld”  Chopper 
contains  no  knives,  but  the  cutter  is  adjustable.  A food 
chopper  costs  $1.00  or  less  for  size  sufficiently  large  for 
an  ordinary  family. 

The  Improved  Economy  Colander,  made  by  the  Utility 
Sales  Co.,  Davenport,  Iowa,  is  a useful  kitchen  appliance, 
especially  in  the  preserving  season. 

ALUMINUM  UTENSILS 

Aluminum  has  many  advantages  for  use  in  kitchen  uten- 
sils— it  is  light  in  weight,  not  affected  by  fruit  acids  or  by 


CAST  ALUMINUM  MUFFIN  DISHES 
Semi-spherical  in  shape — easily  cleaned 


overheating,  forms  no  poisonous  salts,  and  lasts  for  many 
years  if  given  ordinary  care.  As  it  is  a rather  soft  metal, 
it  should  not  be  scoured  with  sand  soap  or  other  rough 
materials,  but  the  finer  washing  powders  do  not  hurt  it  and 
the  inside  of  dishes  may  be  cleaned  by  boiling  with  weak 
oxalic  acid  solution.  It  is  harmed  by  being  boiled  with 
washing  or  caustic  soda. 

The  price  of  aluminum  utensils  has  dropped  steadily  so 
that  those  made  from  sheet  aluminum  are  no  more  ex- 
pensive than  a good  grade  of  enameled  ware  and  much 
cheaper  in  the  end.  The  utensils  of  cast  aluminum  cost 

29 


somewhat  more.  The  “Wear  Ever”  brand  of  aluminum 
cooking  utensils  are  made  of  sufficiently  heavy  material  to 
stand  ordinary  usage  and  are  entirely  satisfactory.  If  not 
to  be  obtained  locally,  they  may  be  purchased  direct  of  the 
manufacturers  at  New  Kensington,  Pa. 

Unfortunately,  some  of  the  makers  of  the  cast  aluminum 
utensils,  like  coffee  pots  and  tea  kettles,  do  not  take  pains 
to  finish  the  inside  as  carefully  as  they  should.  While  the 
outside  is  brilliantly  polished,  the  inside  is  often  rough  and 
difficult  to  keep  clean.  This  is  one  great  tendency  of  man- 
ufacturers—things  are  made  to  sell,  and  much  expense  is 
put  on  making  utensils  attractive  to  the  eye,  while  the  use 
to  which  the  appliance  is  to  be  put  and  ease  of  cleaning  are 
often  lost  sight  of.  Reform  will  take  place  the  moment  there 
is  an  intelligent  demand  for  something  better.  Any  “town 


COOKING  THERMOMETERS 

A,  Floating  Thermometer  ; B,  Chemical  ; C,  Oven  (Price,  $1.00)  : D,  Oven, 
folding  into  base  (Price,  $2.00)  ; E,  Oven  Door  “Thermostat” 


dump”  gives  eloquent  testimony  of  the  amount  of  money 
wasted  in  poor  cooking  utensils. 

THERMOMETERS 

The  use  of  thermometers  in  cooking  is  spoken  of  in  a 
number  of  the  lessons,  and  one  of  our  bulletins  states  that  a 
thermometer  registering  to  280°  F.  can  be  furnished  by  the 
School  for  50  cents  and  a chemical  thermometer  register- 
ing to  6oo°  or  700 0 F.  for  $1.50.  The  50  cent  thermometer 

30 


is  similar  to  a dairy  or  bath  thermometer,  that  is,  made 
entirely  of  glass,  with  a large  hollow  stem  so  that  it  will 


THE  MOST  ACCURATE  OVEN  THERMOMETER 


float  in  water.  The  degrees  are  marked  on  a paper  scale 
inside  the  tube.  This  style  of  thermometer  is  not  sufficiently 
accurate  for  exact  scientific  work,  but  is  near  enough  to 
being  correct  for  use  in  pasteurizing  milk,  taking  the  tem- 
perature of  bread  dough,  candy  making,  and  rough  experi- 
mental work.  They  will  stand  fairly  rough  usage.  This 
style  of  thermometer  can  be  furnished  marked  with  both 
Centigrade  and  Fahrenheit  scale  at  the  same  price — 50  cents, 
but  these  register  only  to  240°  F.  A regular  candy  ther- 
mometer in  a metal  case  costs  $1.25. 

The  chemical  thermometers  have  a solid  stem  with  the 
degrees  engraved  in  the  glass.  They  are  accurate,  but  must 
be  treated  with  some  care. 

There  is  also  an  oven  thermometer  registering  to  6oo°  F. 
on  a small  metal  stand.  It  is  made  to  stand  or  hang  inside 
the  oven,  and  so  can  be  seen  only  when  the  oven  door  is 
open. 

The  up-to-date  gas  or  coal  range  has  a heat  indicator  in 
the  oven  door.  Some  of  these  do  not  work  well ; others  are 
fairly  accurate.  A good  oven  “thermostat”  registering  de- 


31 


grees  on  the  dial  costs  about  $1.50.  If  no  place  has  been 
left  in  the  oven  door  for  a thermostat,  it  will  cost  perhaps 
$2.00  more  to  have  it  put  in  and  adjusted. 

The  oven  thermometer  permitting  of  most  accurate  work 
is  that  of,  the  illustration,  taken  from  Principles  of  Cookery. 
A small  hole  is  punched  or  drilled  in  the  top  of  the  portable 
oven,  the  chemical  thermometer  registering  to  6oo°  or  700° 
F.  is  wrapped  with  a little  sheet  asbestos  and  wire,  and 
inserted  in  the  hole.  The  mercury  bulb  should  extend 
about  two  inches  into  the  oven.  As  the  stem  is  outside  the 
oven,  the  temperature  inside  can  be  told  at  all  times. 

The  same  arrangement  can  be  made  in  the  oven  of  a gas 
range  when  the  oven  is  above  the  top  of  the  stove,  and  even 
if  it  is  below,  though  in  this  case,  the  stem  of  the  ther- 
mometer extends  up  through  the  burners  and  so  is  more 
liable  to  get  broken.  If  the  hole  for  the  thermometer  is 
made  by  a stove  man  or  machinist,  it  would  be  best  to  have 
a short  tube  put  in  the  hole  with  the  edges  bent  over  into 
a flange,  to  keep  it  in  place. 

While  it  is  true  that  the  experienced  cook  knows  when 
the  oven  is  “about  right”  for  baking  various  dishes,  even 
he  sometimes  does  not  have  “good  luck.”  The  up-to-date 
cook  needs  to  eliminate  luck.  Given  the  same  materials  and 
the  same  conditions,  results  will  always  be  the  same.  The 
use  of  thermometers  in  cookery  is  a step  in  the  direction  of 
truly  scientific  cooking. 

We  have  endeavored  to  find  the  temperatures  which 
teachers  of  cookery  recommend.  Conditions  vary  so  much 
that  it  is  difficult  to  give  definite  figures.  The  temperature 
registered  at  the  oven  door  will  be  less  than  that  given  by 
a thermometer  in  the  top  of  the  oven,  and  this  less  than  the 
temperature  of  the  lower  part  of  the  oven.  Again,  the  size 
of  the  roast  and  the  size  and  shape  of  the  dish  make  a 
difference  in  the  correct  temperature  to  be  used.  All  foods 
are  poor  conductors  of  heat  and  it  requires  considerable 
time  for  the  heat  to  penetrate,  so  that  lower  temperatures 
must  be  used  for  large  roasts  and  dishes  than  for  small 
quantities,  to  avoid  burning  the  outside  before  the  interior 
is  done. 

The  following  temperatures  are  taken  from  various 
sources : 


32 


Roast  Beef 

Fish 

Bread 


Oven  Temperatures 


Enter  at 
480°  F. 
520 
410 


Keep  at 
375°  F. 
390 
375 


From  teachers. 


Roasting  Meat 

480°  F. 

Bread 

400 

Popovers 

480 

Muffins,  Cookies,  Puff  Pastry  450 

Plain  Cake 

380 

i ( i ( 

40Q 

Sponge  Cake 

350 

u a 

300 

Baked  Custard 

350 

350°  F. 

400 

470 

450 

380 

400 

350 

Increase,  then  lower. 
( In  water — higher  ) . 


Frying  — Temperature  of  the  Fat. 

Doughs  — uncooked  food  340°  F. 

Croquettes — cooked  food  360 

These  temperatures  are  higher  than  those  used  in  large 
ovens. 

The  boiling  point  of  the  syrup  in  candy  making  has  been 
accurately  determined  by  candy  makers.  The  article  on 
Candy  Making  in  our  new  course  Lessons  in  Cooking,  Part 
IV  (price  50  cents),  gives  the  following  temperatures: 
“Soft  Ball” — fondant,  etc.,  238°  F. ; “Hard  Ball”— caramels, 
etc.,  2540  F. ; “Crack” — taffies,  etc.,  26o°-275°  F. ; “Hard 
Crack” — peanut  candy,  etc.,  290°  F. 

Miss  Snow  at  the  University  of  Chicago  has  made  some 
careful  experiments  on  the  best  boiling  point  of  the  syrups 
in  jelly  making.  This  was  found  to  be  from  103^2°  to 
104 F>°  C.  (2i9°-220°  F.).  A tested  thermometer  must  be 
used,  as  a small  variation  makes  a good  deal  of  difference 
here,  while  a few  degrees  one  way  or  the  other  in  baking 
does  not  affect  the  results. 


DISHWASHING  MACHINES 

If  there  is  one  task  more  than  another  on  which  house- 
keepers would  like  relief,  it  is  dishwashing.  Dishwashing 
machines  for  hotels  and  large  establishments  are  spoken 
of  and  illustrated  in  Chemistry  of  the  Household.  We  have 
only  found  three  machines  now  on  the  market  for  house- 
hold use. 

These  are  the  Mound  City  Dishwasher,  price,  $4.50, 
which  is  a circular  galvanized  iron  can  with  cover,  contain- 

33 


ing  a circular  rack  in  which  the  dishes  are  placed  to  be 
washed.  This  is  rotated  through  hot  soapy  water  by  a 
crank  on  the  top  of  the  machine.  The  tray  is  then  lifted 
and  the  dishes  rinsed  with  hot  water.  It  works  only  fairly 
well.  The  water  for  the  dishwashing  may  be  heated  directly 
in  the  can  placed  on  top  of  the  stove.  This  dishwasher  is 
not  attractive  in  appearance  and  would  be  improved  by  a 
coat  of  aluminum  enamel. 


FEARLESS  DISHWASHING  MACHINE.  (Price  $30.) 


The  Sanitary  Dishwasher  made  by  the  National  Machine 
and  Stamping  Company  of  Detroit  sells  for  $15.00.  It  k 
not  a well  finished  machine,  and  we  have  found  the  manu- 
facturers most  unsatisfactory  in  their  business  dealings,  sc 
do  not  recommend  the  machine. 

There  remains  the  Fparless  Dishwashing  Machine  mack 
in  Rochester.  This  machine  is  just  about  the  size  of  the 
kitchen  table  and  may  take  its  place.  The  machine  seem: 
to  be  well  planned  and  well  made  in  every  way.  The  dishe: 
are  held  in  well  arranged  racks  and  provision  is  made  fo 
washing  cutlery,  cups,  pitchers,  etc.  The  dishes  may  hi 

34 


washed  after  every  meal,  but  in  a small  family  once  a day 
is  sufficient.  Four  quarts  of  hot  water  with  sufficient  dis- 
solved soap  in  it  will  do  the  washing.  The  crank  is  turned 
first  in  one  direction  and  then  in  the  other,  which  sprays 
the  dishes  on  all  sides.  This  is  kept  up  for  about  two  min- 
utes, when  the  spout  is  turned  down,  and  when  the  wash 
water  is  drained  out,  the  first  rinse  water  is  put  in  and  the 
crank  turned  a few  times.  This  is  drained  and  more  hot 
water  added.  Then  the  cover  is  left  up  and  the  dishes  dry 
in  a short  time.  White  soap  containing  no  resin  should  be 
used  to  obtain  shining  dishes. 

The  price  of  the  machine,  including  drip  pan  and  dipper, 
is  $30.00,  with  freight  charges  from  Rochester  extra.  The 
manufacturers  are  not  pushing  the  sale  of  the  machine 
actively  because  there  is  so  great  a demand  for  their  hotel 
machine  and  but  little  demand  for  a family  machine. 

The  A.  S.  H.  E.  Dish  Washer 

Not  being  able  to  find  an  entirely  satisfactory  dishwasher 
at  small  price,  we  combined  the  several  ideas  found  in 
Chemistry  of  the  Household  and  devised  one  of  our  own. 
It  has  been  used  for  over  two  years  and  proved  to  be  a 
success.  It  saves  time,  saves  washing  dish  towels,  keeps 
the  hands  out  of  the  water,  takes  up  no  extra  room,  is  no 
trouble  to  keep  clean,  and  costs  only  $1.50,  express  prepaid. 
Two  dish  pans  are  required. 


Folding  Dish  Drain  Frying  Basket  14  in.  in  diameter 

We  first  used  the  method  recommended  in , Chemistry  of 
the  Household  of  having  one  dish  pan  for  washing  and  a 
second  pan  for  rinsing.  It  was  found  a most  uncomfortable 
job  to  fish  out  the  dishes  from  the  hot  rinsing  water,  so  we 
set  about  finding  something  to  do  this.  Finally  we  found 
at  a department  store  a large-sized  wire  basket  for  frying 
croquettes,  which  cost  45  cents,  and  a long-handled  fiber 
brush  costing  15  cents. 


35 


Having  the  dishes  carefully  scraped  or  rinsed,  the  two 
dish  pans  two-thirds  full  of  very  hot  water,  and  a liberal 
supply  of  soap  in  the  washing  water,  the  method  is  as 
follows : Place  the  wire  basket  in  the  washing  pan  and 
wash  each,  dish  with  the  brush  as  it  goes  into  the  water  and 
basket;  continue  till  all  the  dishes  of  a size  are  washed  and 
in  the  basket ; lift  the  basket  containing  the  dishes  out  of  the 
water  by  the  handle,  tip  a little  to  drain;  put  all  into  the 
rinsing  water  for  a moment;  lift  by  the  handle;  tip  to  drain 
a second;  then  place  the  dishes  on  the  dish  drainer.  If 
plenty  of  soap  has  been  used  in  the  wash  water  and  the  water 
in  both  pans  is  steaming  hot , the  dishes  will  drain  perfectly 
dry  and  require  no  wiping  whatever,  except  perhaps  a touch 
of  the  towel  if  there  happens  to  be  a drop  of  water  on  the 
edge  of  a dish. 

The  dishes  must  be  washed  clean,  for  a greasy  dish  will 
not  drain  well.  It  is  best  to  wipe  the  silver  and  glasses  with 
a towel.  China  having  decorations  in  gilt  will  not  bear  very 
hot  water  or  much  soap,  and  should  not  be  washed  as 
described. 

The  folding  dish  drainer  illustrated,  which  keeps  the 
dishes  apart,  must  be  used  to  obtain  good  results  in  drain- 
ing. As  this  and  the  large  wire  basket,  as  well  as  the  fiber 
brushes,  are  rather  difficult  to  obtain,  we  have  purchased  a 
supply  and  will  furnish  the  complete  dish  washer,  consisting 
of  wire  basket,  folding  drainer  and  two  fiber  brushes,  for 
$1.50,  express  prepaid  east  of  the  Rocky  Mountains  anc 
north  of  Tennessee.  The  express  charges  are  50  cenfi 
additional  to  points  beyond.  A good  square  pattern  soa p 
shaker  will  be  included  for  10  cents  additional  and  a pol 
scraper  and  chain  for  10  cents  more. 

Part  III  of  our  new  course,  Lessons  in  Cooking , Through 
Preparation  of  Meals , contains  a most  excellent  article  or 
dishwashing.  The  price  for  the  single  Part  is  50  cents.  j 

The  Dennison  Manufacturing  Company  have  recently  pu 
on  the  market  a line  of  paper  plates  excellent  in  appearance 
and  not  expensive.  They  may  be  used  to  good  advantage 
at  many  times  and  so  save  dishwashing. 

SILVER  CLEANING 

The  Ramsay-Vance  Silver-Clean  Pan  saves  much  time 
and  labor  in  polishing  silver  or  silver  plate.  The  kind  illus 

36 


rated  consists  of  twd  zinc  pans,  one  of  which  is  perforated 
md  fits  inside  the  other.  The  inside  pan  has  wire  rack  on 
he  bottom,  which  is  supposed  to  help  in  the  operation.  The 
lousehold  silver  is  placed  in  the  pan  with  a solution  of 
making  soda  and  common  salt  in  hot  water.  In  a few  min- 
utes all  the  tarnish  has  disappeared  from  knives,  forks  arid 
spoons,  and  the  inner  pan  is  lifted,  rinsed  with  clear  water, 


RAMSAY- VANCE  SILVER-CLEAN  PAN.  Price  $2.00 

md  the  silver  dried  .as  usual.  The  action  is  an  electro- 
:hemical  one  between  the  silver  and  the  zinc  in  which  a 
/ery  little  hydrogen  is  produced.  This  changes  the  oxides 
md  sulphides  of  silver,  of  which  the  tarnish  is  composed, 
nto  silver.  When  first  taken  out  the  metal  has  a slight 
frosted  appearance ; this  disappears  when  the  silver  is  wiped 
vith  a soft  cloth  or  chamois,  and  the  silver  comes  out 
Deautifully  bright  and  shiny.  The  action  is  entirely  harni- 
ess  to  the  silver,  and  in  fact  has  less  effect  than  ordinary 
polishing.  The  price  for  the  double  pan  is  $2.00,  and  of  a 
ringle  one  $1.25.  Larger  sizes  are  made  for  hotels  or 
nstitutions. 

About  the  same  results  can  be  obtained  by  using  an 
iluminum  pan,  or  scraps  of  sheet  zinc  may  be  used  in  agate 
vare  dish.  One  tablespoon  of  baking  soda  and  one  of  salt 
ire  used  to  a quart  of  water. 

37 


AHUN.il  V I UltnDOta  XH  iv  v 


LAUNDRY  APPLIANCES 

The  next  home  industry  which  will  be  relegated  to  the 
factory,  in  the  city  at  least,  is  doubtless  the  laundry  work. 
Even  now  the  flat  work — bedding,  towels,  table  linen  can 
be  done  more  cheaply  in  the  public  laundries  than  at  home. 
Rates  are  made  as  low  as  $1.00  per  ioo  pieces.  Some  dis- 
crimination must  be  exercised  in  selecting  a laundryman. 
Not  all  laundries  use  caustic  alkali  and  bleaching  powder. 
It  is  a good  idea  to  visit  one’s  laundry.  Some  laundries 
make  a low  rate  on  “rough  dry”  work,  charging  by  the 
pound. 

The  “Wet  Wash” 

One  of  our  students  living  near  Boston  has  written  us 
the  following  account  of  the  “wet  wash  laundry : The 

whole  family  wash  is  collected  in  a strong  box  which  holds 
about  a bushel  and  a half  of  clothing.  The  box  may  be 
packed  as  tightly  as  possible.  At  the  laundry,  the  clothing 
is  sorted  into  white  clothes,  colored  clothing,  and  flannels. 
The  white  clothing  of  each  family  is  put  into  a compartment 
of  a washing  machine  in  which  all-white  clothing  is  being 
washed.  The  same  is  done  with  the  colorod  clothing.  The 
flannels  are  sometimes  washed  by  hand  and  sometimes  by 
machinery.  In  one  laundry  visited,  the  clothing  was  washed 
in  seven  different  waters,  beginning  with  soapy  water  and 
going  on  to  rinsing  and  bluing  waters.  When  the  clothing 
is  taken  out  of  the  compartment,  it  is  put  into  bags  and  the 
bags  into  the  centrifugal  extractor,  which  in  revolving  rap- 
idly throws  out  the  water.  The  clothes  are  shaken  out  and 
delivered  damp,  in  proper  condition  for  immediate  ironing. 
Some  prefer  to  hang  the  clothes  out  on  a line  and  dry  them 
in  the  air,  afterwards  dampening  for  ironing  as  usual.’’ 

The  most  attractive  part  of  the  arrangement  is  the  price- 
50  cents  for  the  whole  family  washing.  We  have  not  heard 
of  the  “wet  wash”  laundry  in  any  other  part  of  the  country. 
No  laundry  in  Chicago  makes  such  an  arrangement.  Ask 
your  laundryman  about  it. 

If  time  and  money  are  an  object,  a considerable  saving  of 
both  may  be  effected  by  leaving  many  things  unironed  as 
Turkish  towels,  knit  underwear,  stockings,  cotton  flannel 
night  gowns,  children’s  bibs,  napkins  and  handkerchiefs, 
sheets  even,  and  counterpanes. 

39 


WASHING  MACHINES 

Recently  a magazine  which  has  a large  country  circula- 
tion in  the  Middle  West  sent  out  a question  sheet  to  their 
subscribers.  Among  other  things  was  asked  if  the  sub- 
scriber used  a washing  machine,  and  the  make.  Of  8,000 
who  replied,  over  half  reported  the  use  of  some  washing 
machine;  there  were  214  different  kinds  mentioned.  This 
would  indicate  that  washing  machines  are  used  quite  gen- 
erally in  the  country  and  that  there  was  no  lack  of  variety. 

A dozen  or  more  different  kinds  of  washing  machines 
may  be  seen  in  any  department  store,  and  usually  hardware 


TARAGON  HAND  WASHING  “SYRACUSE  EASY”  WASHING 
MACHINE  MACHINE 


and  general  merchandise  stores  have  two  or  three  kinds  on 
sale. 

The  most  common  type  is  the  “rotary”  washer — a wooden 
tub  on  legs  with  the  bottom  larger  than  the  top.  The  bottom 
and  sides  are  corrugated.  There  is  a shaft  in  the  center,  at 
the  bottom  of  which  is  a wooden  disc  with  four  prongs — 
the . so-called  “milk-stool”  arrangement.  This  presses 
against  the  clothes,  and  by  the  mechanism  on  top  is  twisted 
half  way  or  more  around  in  one  direction,  then  reversed 
and  turned  the  other  way.  The  clothes  move  at  the  same 
time  and  rub  against  the  corrugated  bottom  and  sides. 
When  the  motion  is  reversed,  the  water  has  a tendency  to 
force  through  the  clothes. 


40 


Rochester  Electric  Cylinder  Washer.  Judd  Oscillating  Electric  Washer 


The  mechanism  for  making  this  twisting  motion  and  the 
reverse  constitutes  the  variety  in  this  type  of  washing  ma- 
:hine,  the  most  common  method  being  by  means  of  a crank 
Dn  a flywheel.  This  type  of  machine  costs  from  $4.50  to 
fS.oo. 

The  “Syracuse  Easy”  machine  is  an  adaptation  of  the  old- 
fashioned  pounding  barrel  for  washing  clothes.  There  is  a 
cone-shaped  plunger  which  is  moved  up  and  down  in  the 
galvanized  iron  tub,  and  so  forces  and  draws  the  water 
through  the  clothes. 


ROTARY  TYPE  OF  WASHER  “1900”  WASHER,  Electric- 


Piston  Water  Motor  Attached  ally  Driven. 


41 


Another  manufactures  a cone-shaped  arrangement  on  the 
end  of  a stick.  It  keeps  the  hands  out  of  the  water  and  is 
used  in  any  wash  tub  or  pail.  It  costs  $2.50  made  entirely 
of  copper. 

Then  there  is  the  type  of  machine  half  cylinder  in  shape, 
with  a rocking  motion  of  the  half  circle  framework  of  slats 
which  rubs  and  squeezes  the  clothes. 

The  steam  laundries  use  cylinder  machines,  one  cylinder 
inside  the  other,  the  inside  cylinder  being  perforated  or 
being  made  of  slats  of  wood.  The  revolving  of  the  inside 
cylinder  lifts  the  clothes  up  and  drops  them  back  into  the 
hot,  soapy  water.  There  are  a number  of  different  makes 
of  household  machines  made  on  this  principle.  They  cost 
$10.00  or  $12.00. 

Running  a hand  machine  is  a good  deal  easier  than  scrub- 
bing on  a washboard ; moreover,  boy  or  man  power  may  be 
used. 

A number  of  washing  machines  are  made  to  run  b) 
power.  The  simplest  arrangement  is  a piston  water  motor 
which  gives  simply  a forward  and  back  motion  and  is 
applied  directly  to  the  rotary  type  of  washers.  These 
motors  require  at  least  25  pounds  of  water  pressure  tc 
operate  them  successfully.  The  motor  is  attached  to  the 
water  faucet  by  a length  of  hose.  One  make  is  stated  tc 
use  240  gallons  of  water  per  hour.  The  motor  alone  cost? 
about  $12.00,  and  with  the  whole  washing  machine,  frorr 
$15.00  to  $18.00. 

A number  of  manufacturers  supply  washing  machine? 
operated  by  an  electric  motor.  The  clothes  wringer  is  alsc 
attached  so  that  the  clothes  may  be  both  washed  and  wrung 
by  the  machine.  The  “1900  Washer,”  electrically  operated 
with  wringer,  costs  $54.00  furnished  with  direct  curreni 
motor,  and  $60.00  with  alternating  current  motor.  Tfu 
“Paragon”  cylinder  washer  with  electric  motor  for  wash- 
ing and  wringing  complete  costs  $90.00.  The  “Paragon 
machine  is  made  in  larger  size  for  hotels  and  institutions. 

Another  make  of  cylinder  washers  is  the  Rochester,  foJ 
which  the  price  with  electric  motor  and  wringer  is  $57-5° 
Still  another  make  is  the  Thor  Electric,  which  sells  fronj 
$85.00  to  $125.00. 

The  Judd  machine  is  of  still  another  type.  It  oscillate: 
back  and  forth  quite  rapidly  and  does  very  thorough  anc 

42 


lick  work.  It  is  copper  lined  and  covered,  and  the  price 
$125.00.  The  wringer  may  be  operated  while  a new 
arge  of  clothes  is  being  washed. 

We  have  tested  a hand  cylinder  machine  for  two  years 
id  find  that  it  does  excellent  work.  More  intelligence  is 
quired  to  use  a washing  machine  successfully  than  to  scrub 
e clothes  in  the  old  way  on  a washboard. 


A MECHANICAL  WASHING  DEVICE 
Made  to  fit  in  the  bottom  of  a wash  boiler.  The  formation  of 
steam  forces  the  hot,  soapy  water  op  the  spouts, 
over  and  through  the  clothes. 


The  method  for  washing  white  clothes  with  the  kerosene 
- paraffine  boil,  is  described  in  Chemistry  of  the  \ Household , 
age  130.  A sketch  of  the  apparatus  illustrated  was  given 
s by  Professor  Sheppard,  of  the  University  of  Minnesota, 
Lithor  of  Laundry  Work.  It  fits  in  the  bottom  of  the  wash 
oiler  and  the  formation  of  steam  forces  the  water  up  the 
aouts,  over  and  through  the  clothes.  We  have  not  had  the 
pparatus  made.  A tinsmith  stated  that  it  would  cost  about 
2.50  to  make  the  apparatus. 

IRONING 

The  old-fashioned  flat  iron  with  attached  handle  is  grad- 
ally  giving  way  to  the  “Potts”  iron  with  detachable  wooden 
andle.  These  are  heated  on  the  stove  or  over  the  gas  flame, 
ke  the  older  style  flat  iron.  It  is  often  convenient  to  have 
small  one-burner  gas  stove  which  may  be  placed  at  the 
ide  of  the  ironing  table  or  ironing  board. . 

There  are  on  the  market  a number  of  iron  heaters  for 
overing  irons  and  thus  saving  heat.  Even  an  old  tin  dish 
laced  over  the  irons  will  save  much  heat. 

43 


Electric  Irons 


More  electric  heated  flat  irons  are  used  than  any  other 
electric  household  appliance.  Those  using  them  are  very 
enthusiastic  in  their  praise.  The  ironing  can  be  done  in 
about  half  the  time  ordinarily  required.  As  in  all  self- 
heated  irons,  the  polishing  surface  is  kept  clean,  and  as  the 
heat  is  supplied  constantly,  no  time  is  lost  in  changing  irons. 

A six  pound  electric  flat  iron  requires  about  250  watts 
an  hour  (one-fourth  a kilowatt)  when  the  electricity  is  on 


“Deleco”  Three  Heat  Electric  Iron.  “Imperial”  Gasoline  or  Alcohol  Iron. 


Price  $4.00 


all  the  time.  In  ironing  delicate  pieces  it  is  necessary  to 
shut  off  the  current  to  prevent  the  iron  growing  too  hot. 
The  “Deleco”  electric  iron  has  three  heats,  which  is  a con- 
venience. It  costs  $7.00. 

One  of  our  members  reports  that  the  use  of  the  electric 
iron  adds  about  $1.50  per  month  to  the  electric  light  hill 
and  saves  about  75  cents  on  the  gas  bill.  This  is  in  a family 
of  five  including  two  small  children,  with  electricity  at  13 
cents  a kilowatt  hour,  all  the  laundry  work  done  at  home. 


Gasoline  and  Alcohol  Irons 


The  advantage  of  the  gasoline  and  alcohol  self-heated 
iron  is  somewhat  the  same  as  the  electric  iron — -no  time  is 
lost  in  changing  irons.  The  heat  can  be  regulated,  so  that 
ironing  can  be  done  very  rapidly  and  on  the  back  porch 
or  anywhere  that  it  is  convenient  or  agreeable.  We  have 
tested  the  “Imperial”  gasoline  and  alcohol  iron  and  find  that 
it  does  excellent  and  rapid  work.  On  a rough  test,  the  cost 
of  fuel  with  gasoline  at  16  cents  a gallon  is  about  half  that 
for  accomplishing  the  same  work  with  flat  irons  heated  on 
the  gas  stove — gas  at  $1.00  per  1,000  cubic  feet.  It  requires 
about  five  minutes  to  heat  up  the  gas  generating  apparatus. 
The  “Imperial”  iron  is  fitted  so  that  either  gasoline  or 
alcohol  may  be  used  by  changing  the  orifice.  We  do  not 


44 


think  the  gasoline  or  alcohol  iron  is  dangerous  in  intelligent 
hands. 

Alcohol  irons  work  on  the  same  principle  as  the  gasoline 
iron,  though  they  have  a differently  constructed  burner, 
because  the  alcohol  must  be  burned  more  rapidly  than  gaso- 
line to  keep  up  the  required  temperature.  The  generator 
must  be  heated  hotter  to  burn  alcohol,  so  it  takes  a little 
longer  to  start  an  alcohol  iron.  An  iron  will  burn  a pint 
of  alcohol  in  three  to  four  hours  and  so  costs  two  or  three 
cents  an  hour  to  operate.  The  small  alcohol  irons  for  press- 
ing are  convenient  for  small  work. 

Gas  Irens 

Large-size,  self-heated  gas  irons  are  very  commonly  used 
by  tailors  for  pressing,  but  not  often  used  as  they  should  be 
for  the  family  ironing.  If  a light  weight  rubber  tube  is 
used  for  supplying  the  gas,  it  is  about  as  convenient  as  and 
much  less  expensive  to  run  than  an  electric  iron.  One  kind 
is  made  with  two  polishing  surfaces  and  arranged  to  turn, 
so  that  first  one  and  then  the  other  side  may  be  used.  The 
price  of  these  is  $4.00 — other  kinds  cost  only  $2.00  or  $1.50. 
A gas  iron  uses  much  less  gas  than  is  required  to  heat  irons 
over  a burner. 

Mangles 

The  reason  that  flat  work  is  so  much  cheaper  than  fanev 


GAS  HEATED  MANGLE 
45 


A COLD  MANGLE 
Price,  $6.75 


laundry  is  that  the  ironing  is  done  on  the  ironing  machine 
or  mangle,  usually  a hot  mangle. 

If  the  laundry  work  is  not  sent  out,  a mangle  is  a good 
investment  for  a large  household,  boarding  house,  or 
institution. 

The  cold  mangles  cost  less  than  the  gas  heated  mangles. 
The  damp  clothes  are  folded  and  passed  through  the  rolls 
of  the  mangle  under  considerable  pressure,  once  through  for 
every  fold.  With  a cold  mangle  the  flat  work  must  be  dried 
afterwards.  This  is  a slow  process.  We  have  known  of 
napkins  being  furnished  to  the  guests  in  hotels  and  boarding 
houses  before  they  were  quite  dry ! It  is  stated  that  the 
cold  mangle  is  easier  on  the  cloth  than  the  hot  mangle  or 
ironing. 

The  hot  mangles  are  heated  either  bv  gas,  gasoline,  or 
electricity.  The  clothes  are  finished  as  dry  as  in  ordinary 
ironing,  and  in  very  much  less  time.  Particularly  good 
work  can  be  done  on  table  linen  with  a hot  mangle,  pro- 
vided care  is  used. 


46 


One  disadvantage  of  the  mangle,  hot  or  cold,  is  that  it 
takes  two  persons  to  operate  the  hand  machine  successfully. 
The  large  machines  are  run  by  power. 

A DRY  ROOM 

A very  great  convenience,  especially  in  the  winter,  is  a 
dry  room  near  the  laundry,  which  makes  the  laundry  work 
independent  of  rainy  days  and  saves  dangerous  exposure  in 
cold  weather.  This  is  easily  arranged  for  in  a new  house, 
or  sometimes  in  an  old  one.  If  furnace  heat  is  available,  one 
of  the  hot  air  pipes  may  be  turned  into  the  room.  Pro- 
vision must  be  made  for  an  outlet,  preferably  near  the 
bottom  of  the  room.  If  steam  or  hot  water  system  is  used, 
a radiator  can  be  placed  in  the  dry  room. 


O.  K.  CLOTHES  DRYER.  Price  $5.00 

Complete  dry  rooms  are  now  on  the  market.  That  made 
by  the  Hill  Dryer  Company  contains  sections  which  draw 
out  for  hanging  or  taking  off  the  clothes.  It  is  heated  by 
a special  gas  laundry  stove  or  otherwise.  The  price  is 
$85.00  to  $125.00. 


47 


A much  simpler  and  less  expensive  arrangement  is  the 
O.  K.  Clothes  Dryer,  made  in  Bristol,  Vermont.  This  is 
simply  a rack  which  may  be  easily  attached  to  the  ceiling  of 
the  kitchen  or  laundry.  It  has  pulley  arrangements  for 
lowering  the  rack  for  filling,  when  it  is  raised  up  close  to 
the  ceiling,  where  the  clothes  dry  quickly  in  the  warm  air. 
The  price  is  $5.00,  express  prepaid. 

POWER  IN  THE  HOME 

The  up-to-date  home  should  have  some  sort  of  mechan- 
ical power  available.  When  the  house  is  wired  for  elec- 
tricity, the  small  electric  motors  can  be  applied  to  all  sorts 
of  mechanical  operations*  and  the  power  taken  from  any 


SEWING  MACHINE  MOTOR  AND  ATTACHMENTS 

electric  light  socket.  The  first  cost  of  an  electric  motor  is 
considerable,  but  the  electric  current  for  power  is  cheap 
and  easily  controlled.  It  only  requires  about  the  same 
amount  of  electric  current  to  operate  a 1/25  horse-power 
motor  as  for  a 16  candle-power  incandescent  lamp,  i.  e., 
50  watts  per  hour. 

An  electric  motor  applied  to  the  sewing  machine  is  a very 
great  help,  especially  if  much  sewing  is  done.  A 1/25  horse- 
power motor  and  attachment  can  be  put  on  for  about  $10.00 
with  direct  current,  and  $12.00  with  alternating^  current. 

48 


The  motor  is  started,  stopped,  and  the  speed  regulated,  by 
a touch  of  the  foot  on  the  treadle. 

A i/io  horse-power  motor  for  running  a washing  ma- 
chine and  the  like  costs  about  $25.00.  It  will  use  about 
60  watts  per  hour.  The  local  electric  light  company  will 
give  more  definite  figures. 

A motor  with  silver  polishing  buffer  and  grinding  wheels 
costs  $12.00.  The  electric  fans  are,  of  course,  quite  com- 


STEINER  ELECTRIC  MOTOR  AND  STAND  CONNECTED  TO  WASHER 
AND  WRINGER.  Price,  Complete,  $65.00 


monly  used.  There  seems  no  reason  why  the  buffing  wheel 
might  not  replace  the  fan  of  the  fan  motor. 

A very  ingenious  combination  is  offered  by  the  Steiner 
Manufacturing  Company  of  St.  Louis.  Their  family  motor 
alone  with  switches,  cord  and  plug,  costs  $35.00,  but  they 
have  all  sorts  of  attachments  at  reasonable  prices — sewing 
machine  $3.75,  buffing  wheel  30  cents,  emery  wheel  40  cents, 

49 


ice  cream  freezer  $3.00,  coffee  and  spice  mill  $5.00,  meat 
grinder  $1.25,  bread  mixer  $2.00,  gas  heated  mangle  $25.00, 
adjustable  stand  $5.50,  washing  machine  $10.00,  wringer 
$5.50.  The  one  motor  fits  on  all  appliances  and  can  be 
used  on  them  successively. 


FEDERAL  ELECTRIC  KITCHEN  CABINET 


The  Westinghouse  Company  is  advertising  a family  mo- 
tor, for  which  the  price  is  $20.00  up.  They  have  sewing 
machine  attachment  for  $2.75,  emery  wheel  for  40  cents, 
buffing  wheel  for  20  cents,  blower  for  $12.50. 

The  electric  kitchen  cabinet  made  by  the  Federal  Electric 
Company,  Chicago,  is  the  most  complete  arrangement  we 
have  seen.  The  meat  chopper,  coffee  grinder,  bread  mixer, 
and  various  other  appliances  are  fitted  on  the  top  of  the 
cabinet  and  stored  away  underneath  when  not  in  use.  The 
cabinet  and  appliances  are  very  finely  finished,  but  the  price 
is  $175.00,  which  perhaps  is  not  so  high  when  all  the  appli- 
ances furnished  are  considered,  though  it  seems  consider- 
able as  a lump  sum. 


50 


Water  Motors 

The  rotary  water  motors  are  less  expensive  than  electric 
motors,  but  they  cannot  be  operated  successfully  unless  the 
water  pressure  is  at  least  35  pounds  per  sq.  inch.  If  the 
water  is  metered,  the  cost  of  running  is  usually  higher  than 
for  an  electric  motor  of  the  same  power.  A small  water 
motor  with  polishing  and  grinding  wheels  costs  $3.00,  and 
a larger  one  for  a washing  machine,  $5.00. 

A STOCKING  DARNER 

The  sewing  machine  manufac- 
turers supply  more  appliances  for 
the  sewing  machine  than  are  gen- 
erally used.  Mrs.  Maynard  has  in- 
vented one  that  reduces  the  labor 
of  darning. 

Darning  table  cloths  and  the  like 
on  a sewing  machine  with  the  help 
of  an  embroidery  hoop  is  spoken  of 
in  Textile  and  Clothing,  page  158. 

The  Dorcas  Darner  carries  this 
quick  method  of  repair  a step  fur- 
ther by  enabling  one  to  darn  stock- 
ings on  the  sewing  machine.  The 
darner  is  simply  a metal  ring  with  hooks  on  one  edge  and 
wires  on  the  other.  The  darner  is  placed  in  the  stocking 
with  the  hole  in  the  center  of  the  darner,  the  material  caught 
on  the  hooks,  so  as  to  keep  the  goods  tight  around  the  hole, 
and  the  remainder  of  the  stocking  is  held  out  of  the  way  by 
the  wires. 

A double-thread  sewing  machine  must  be  used.  The 
presser-foot  is  taken  off,  the  machine  is  threaded  with  fine 
thread,  No.  120,  the  darner  with  the  stocking  is  placed 
under  the  needle,  and  stitching  is  done,  backward  and  for- 
ward across  the  hole.  A large  hole  can  be  darned  very 
quickly  in  this  way  on  the  machine  and  much  time  saved. 
Moreover,  stockings  so  far  gone  that  it  would  be  a foolish 
waste  of  time  to  try  to  darn  them  by  hand  can  be  kept  in 
commission  with  the  help  of  the  Dorcas  Darner  and  the 
machine.  The  darner  is  too  large  to  be  used  well  in  the 
toes  of  thick  stockings  of  small  children.  The  price  is  55 
cents  postpaid. 


51 


The  Singer  Sewing  Machine  Co.  makes  a machine  stock- 
ing darner  similar  in  principal  to  the  Dorcas,  which  has 
some  advantage  over  it.  The  price  is  75  cents. 

THE  SERVANTLESS  HOUSEHOLD 

From  the  present  outlook  it  looks  as  if  the  domestic  ser- 


REVOLVING  TABLE  SERVER 


vant  problem  would  have  to  be  solved  through  wider  use  of 
labor-saving  appliances  in  the  household. 

Mrs.  Frank  A.  Pattison  while  President  of  the  New 
Jersey  Federation  of  Women’s  Clubs  reduced  her  household 


Wheel  Tray 


Home-Made  Wheel  Tray 


to  a servantless  condition  through  the  employment  of’ house- 
hold appliances.  The  very  interesting  story  is  told  in  the 
August  1911  issue  of  Success  Magazine.  Among  other 

52 


things  Mrs.  Pattison  used  a dining  table  server,  which  we 
illustrate  from  a photograph  furnished  by  her.  The  device 
consists  of  a round  flat  board  or  piece  of  glass,  constructed 
so  as  to  revolve  upon  a pivot  placed  on  a heavy  pedestal  in 
the  center  of  the  table.  It  allows  each  person  to  serve  him- 
self in  turn  and  does  away  with  passing. 

Another  appliance  used  by  Mrs.  Pattison  was  an  Eng- 
lish tea  cart  or  wheel  tray.  The  Ohio  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany sell  such  a wheel-tray  made  in  oak  with  glass  tray 
for  $22.50,  freight  prepaid. 

Answering  the  same  purpose  as  the  wheel  tray  illustrated, 
for  which  the  price  is  $10.00  delivered,  we  also  show  a 
home-made  wheel  tray,  the  photograph  of  which  was  sent 
in  by  a member  of  the  school. 

KITCHEN  ELEVATORS 

Dumb  waiters  have  been  used 
for  a generation,  formerly  per- 
haps more  than  now.  An  im- 
proved kitchen  elevator  is  made 
by  the  Imperial  Manufacturing 
Company.  To  be  useful  for  food 
storage,  the  elevator  must  run 
into  the  cold  room  of  the  cellar. 

They  are-  sometimes  placed  so 
that  they  come  up  in  the  dining 
room.  The  price  of  these  ele- 
vators is  $35.00,  with  freight 
charges  extra.  This  company 
also  makes  a combination  cup- 
board and  ice  chest,  for  which 
the  price  is  $45.00,  and  a regular 
ice  chest  which  sells  for  $60.00. 

All  of  these  elevators  are  care- 
fully counterbalanced,  so  that 
they  move  up  or  down  very 
easily. 

ODORLESS  KITCHEN 

Progressive  architects  are  now  drawing  plans  in  which 
the  gas  stove  is  placed  in  a recess  of  the  kitchen  with  part 
of  the  wall  extending  in  the  form  of  a hood  over  the  stove, 

53 


KITCHEN  ELEVATOR 


which  is  ventilated  through  a good  size  flue.  In  all  cases 
the  kitchen  should  have  a ventilator  in  the  ceiling,  which  if 
connected  to  the  chimney  or  a good  sized  flue  of  sheet  iron, 
will  help  much  in  ventilating  the  kitchen.  It  will  make  a 
surprising  difference  in  the  temperature  in  hot  weather.  The 
portable  hood  for  coal  range  or  gas  stove  is  made  by  the 
Sanitary-Homes  Company.  It  has  a telescoping  front  which 
may  be  closed  down  completely  over  the  stove  or  range, 
thus  carrying  away  nearly  all  of  the  odors  and  heat  of  cook- 
ing. The  prices  range  from  $19.00  to  $26.00  or  more. 

•A  simpler  hood  for  various  gas  stoves  may  be  obtained 
for  about  $10.00. 


SANITARY-HOMES  CO.  HOOD. 


The  walls  of  a kitchen  thoroughly  ventilated  does  not 
become  soiled  nearly  so  quickly  as  those  of  the  kitchen 
without  special  ventilation.  A method  of  treating  painted 
kitchen  walls  to  make  cleaning  easy  is  to  coat  them  with  a 
thin  starch  paste  solution.  This  permits  the  walls  being 
washed  very  easily  with  warm  water  and  soap,  as  the  starch 
dissolves  and  takes  the  grease  and  dirt  with  it.  After  clean- 
ing the  walls  are  again  brushed  over  with  starch  paste. 
Those  who  have  tried  it  know  that  a kitchen  wall  that  has 
become  badly  soiled  is  very  difficult  to  wash  without  harm- 
ing the  paint.  In  fact,  it  is  hardly  more  expensive  to  have 
the  painter  take  off  the  grease  and  repaint. 

54 


“SWEEPER-VAC”  SUCCESS  VACUUM  CLEANER 

even  with  rugs  the  vacuum  cleaner  saves  time  and  effort, 
besides  being  very  valuable  from  a sanitary  standpoint. 

With  a vacuum  cleaner  the  furniture  does  not  have  to 
be  moved  in  cleaning  a room,  which  saves  some  time.  Then 
the  dusting  is  lessened  to  a great  extent.  There  should  be 
no  need  of  a typical  “spring  cleaning”  if  a vacuum  cleaner 
is  used.  The  vacuum  cleaner,  however,  does  not  accomplish 

55 


VACUUM  CLEANERS 


Since  the  first  edition  of  this  Bulletin  was  published, 
more  and  more  vacuum  cleaners  have  been  put  on  the  market 
and  very  many  have  been  sold  and  are  now  used  by  house- 
keepers. From  all  the  reports  we  have  received  and  tests 
that  we  have  made,  it  seems  to  us  that  the  vacuum  cleaner 
has  come  to  stay  and  has  proved  a considerable  help  in 
lightening  housekeeping.  They  would  have  been  even  more 
useful  in  the  days  of  carpets  than  at  the  present  time,  when 
hardwood  floors  and  rugs  are  so  generally  used.  However, 


everything — the  broom,  carpet  sweeper  and  dust  mop  still 
find  their  uses  in  homes  equipped  with  vacuum  cleaners. 

Even  the  cheapest  hand  vacuum  cleaner  will  take  out  an 
astonishing  amount  of  fine  dirt  from  a rug  or  carpet  cleaned 
thoroughly  by  other  methods.  It  is  unquestionable  that  the 
fine  dirt  which  the  vacuum  cleaner  takes  out  is  better  out 
of  the  house , for  it  is  sure  to  be  stirred  up  when  the  room 
is  used  and  make  the  air  always  more  or  less  dusty  and  in 
a measure  unhealthful. 

The  first  hand  vacuum  cleaners  put  on  the  market,  which 
operated  by  an  upright  lever,  required  two  persons  to  work 
them  successfully.  It  is,  of  course,  an  advantage  to  have  a 
cleaner  that  may  be  run  by  one  person  alone.  The  “Sweeper 
Vac”  and  “Success,”  illustrated  here,  are  one-person 
cleaners.  The  “Sweeper  Vac”  is  operated  like  a carpet 
sweeper.  The  revolving  of  the  wheel  at  the  bottom  operates 
the  bellows,  which  gives  the  suction.  Naturally  it  runs  a 
little  harder  and  is  somewhat  heavier  than  a carpet  sweeper, 
but  it  still  is  easy  to  run,  and  it  takes  out  a surprising  quan- 
tity of  dirt  from  a rug  or  carpet  which  has  been  cleaned 
thoroughly  with  a broom.  No  one  who  has  not  actually 
tried  the  experiment  and  seen  the  dust  collected  would 
believe  that  as  much  dust  and  dirt  could  be  obtained. 

The  price  of  this  machine  is  $9.50  with  the  regular  nozzle. 
The  makers  also  have  another  nozzle  for  hardwood  floors 
or  Oriental  rugs,  which  costs  $1.50  extra.  This  machine 
cannot  be  used  for  cleaning  walls,  portieres,  curtains  and 
upholstery. 

The  “Success”  hand  vacuum  cleaner  represents  a type  of 
which  there  are  several  makes  on  the  market.  The  suction 
is  produced  by  pushing  the  whole  machine  forward  over  the 
carpet  or  rug,  while  the  hand  holding  the  bellows  handle 
remains  stationary.  This  type  is  perhaps  a little  more  tire- 
some to  work  than  the  sweeper  type  of  hand  machine,  but 
it  gives  somewhat  more  powerful  suction.  The  price  of  the 
Success  machine  is  $15.00. 

An  electrically  operated  vacuum  cleaner  is  much  to  be 
preferred  to  any  hand  cleaner.  There  are  three  general 
types  of  electric  vacuum  cleaners,  according  to  the  method 
of  producing  the  suction.  These  are  the  fan  type,  in  which 
the  partial  vacuum  is  produced  by  a very  rapidly  revolving 
fan.  The  Vortex  and  the  Invincibles  are  examples  of  this 

56 


type.  Then  there  are  those  in  which  the  suction  is  pro- 
duced by  a double-acting  bellows  like  the  “Santos”  and  the 
“Duntley.”  Finally  there  is  the  type  using  an  air  pump 
similar  to  a Root  blower,  of  which  the  “Therman”  and  the 
•“Federal”  are  examples. 

The  “Hoover”  vacuum  cleaner  is  a combination  of  a car- 
pet sweeper  and  suction  cleaner,  as  it  has  a brush  which  is 
revolved  rapidly  by  the  motor,  thus  doing  quick  and  effective 
work. 


EUREKA  ELECTRIC  VACUUM  CLEANER 
(Price  $35.) 


It  is  rather  difficult  to  decide  as  to  the  relative  advantages 
of  the  various  makes.  Other  things  being  equal,  a small 
and  light  machine  is  an  advantage.  This  type  is  represented 
by  the  “Eureka,”  “Magic”  and  “Richmond.”  All  these 
machines  are  operated  by  a rapidly  revolving  fan  placed 
near  the  opening,  so  that  there  is  little  loss  of  effectiveness 
through  friction. 

We  have  tested  the  Eureka  machine  and  find  that  it  does 
thorough,  quick  and  satisfactory  work,  particularly  on  rugs 
and  carpets.  These  small  machines  have  an  attachment  for 
cleaning  hardwood  floors,  upholstery,  curtains,  etc.,  also  for 
blowing,  which  is  useful  in  cleaning  radiators  and  other  in- 

57 


accessible  places,  as  well  as  for  drying  hair  and  the  like. 
The  price  of  the  Eureka  is  $35.00  and  the  complete  outfit  of 
accessories  cost  $10.00  extra.  It  weighs  9 pounds. 

Under  ordinary  conditions  once  a week  is  sufficient  for  a 
thorough  use  of  the  vacuum  cleaner,  so  that  in  many  cases 
clubs  or  church  societies  purchase  vacuum  cleaners  and  loan 
them  by  the  day  for  50  cents  or  more.  In  other  cases  four 
or  five  neighboring  families  combine  and  purchase  a vacuum 
cleaner  and  apportion  one  day  a week  for  its  use  to  each 
family. 

The  ideal  arrangement  for  vacuum  cleaning  is  to  have  a 


STATIONARY  VACUUM  CLEANER 
Made  by  American  Radiator  Co. 


stationary  machine  in  the  cellar  with  pipes  leading  to  the 
various  rooms.  Nearly  all  of  these  are  automatic  in  action, 
so  that  opening  the  cock  in  any  room  starts  the  machine, 
while  closing  the  valve  stops  it.  The  machine  illustrated 
is  excellently  designed,  is  easily  cared  for  and  not  liable  to 
get  out  of  order.  The  price  is  $300.00  for  the  smallest 
machine,  and  it  costs  $35.00  to  $50.00  more  to  put  in  the 
necessary  pipes,  valves  and  electric  connections  for  an 
ordinary  installation.  58 


THE  DUSTLESS  DUSTER 

We  can  all  afford  the  Howard  Dustless  Dust  Cloth. 
Price,  a yard  square,  25  cents  postpaid.  It  is  simply  a good 
grade  of  cheese  cloth  which  has  been  treated  with  some 
substance  which  holds  the  dust.  We  suspect  that  the  oil 
treatment  is  similar  to  that  used  in  dyeing  Turkey  red  on 
cotton.  At  any  rate,  the  oily  substance  is  fixed  on  the  fiber 


OLIVER  HOUSE  CLEANER 


so  that  the  dust  cloth  may  be  washed  in  soap  and  water 
after  being  used  and  still  holds  its  dust-retaining  properties. 
The  cloth  is  not  “greasy”  but  gives  a good  polish  to. wood- 
work, glass,  etc.  It  may  be  used  to  advantage  over  a broom 
in  sweeping  walls  and  hardwood  floors. 

The  regular  dustless  broom-cloth  for  cleaning  walls  and 
ceilings  costs  35  cents  postpaid.  The  broom  should  be  first 
covered  with  ordinary  cloth  to  prevent  the  bristles  wearing 
out  the  duster.  The  dustless  dust-mop  is  very  useful  in 
caring  for  hardwood  floors.  The  price  of 
the  large  mop  impregnated  with  the  dust 
retaining  substance  is  $1.00,  and  the  spe- 
cial mop  handle  25  cents,  though  an  or- 
dinary mop  handle  with  a clamp  will  serve. 

THE  OLIVER  SANITARY  HOUSE  CLEANER 

The  Oliver  Sanitary  House  Cleaner  is 
intended  to  do  away  with  scrubbing  of 
floors  on  hands  and  knees.  It  consists 
of  a long  light  ash  handle  to  which  is  at- 
tached a crosshead  fitted  along  the  lower 
edge  with  a row  of  rubber  teeth.  The 
teeth  cling*  to  the  cloth  and  press  it 
against  the  surface  to  be  cleaned  just  as 

59 


White  Mop  Wringer 


the  fingers  do.  In  addition  to  scrubbing  and  wiping,  it  is 
also  useful  for  cleaning  walls  and  dusting  floors.  It  is 
very  light  but  strong.  The  price  is  $1,00,  express  paid. 

MOP  WRINGERS 

There  are  a number  of  mechanical  mop  wringers,  some 
of  which  are  attached  to  a pail  and  have  rolls  which  wring 
the  mop  on  turning  the  crank  handle.  Perhaps  the  White 
mop  wringer  is  the  best  of  its  kind,  as  it  wrings  the  mop 
simply  by  pressing  the  handle.  The  price*  is  $1.50  up. 

NEW  HOUSE  HEATING  APPLIANCES 
There  have  been  a number  of  new  heating  appliances  in- 
vented during  the  past  few  years.  Prominently  among  them 


SPENCER  MAGAZINE-FEED  STEAM  HEATER 


as  a labor  and  money  saver  is  the  Spencer  water- jacketed 
magazine-feed  hot  water  or  steam  heater.  This  heater 
burns  the  smaller  size  of  hard  coal  or  semi-anthracite  coal 
called  buckwheat.  This  sells  in  the  Chicago  market  for 
$4.50  or  $5.00  per  ton  against  $7.50  to  $7.75  for  the  larger 
size  of  hard  coal.  The  magazine  holds  a sufficient  supply 
for  twelve  hours  in  cold  weather  or  twenty-four  hours  in 
mild  weather.  It  is  impossible  for  the  fire  to  go  out  while 
there  is  coal  in  the  magazine.  The  Spencer  heater  by  its 
arrangement  of  tubes  and  heating  surfaces  gives  a very 

60 


high  efficiency  whatever  coal  is  used.  The  water  in  the 
heater  surrounds  the  coal  magazine  so  there  is  no  danger 
of  its  burning  out  or  distilling  the  gases  from  the  coal.  It 
is  sometimes  possible  to  arrange  for  a high  bin,  in  which 
case  the  coal  can  be  run  directly  into  the  magazine  through 
a shoot  without  shoveling. 

Steam  heating  is  once  more  being  advocated  by  the 
makers  of  the  so-called  ‘'modulated  steam”  heating  systems. 
The  patents  consist  of  a valve  easily  set  to  admit  a given 
quantity  of  steam  and  a water  and  air  valve  which  com- 
pletely drains  the  system  and  prevents  the  pounding  which 
is  so  disagreeable  in  ordinary  steam  heating.  The  manu- 
facturers charge  so  much  for  their  patents  that  modulated 
steam  systems  cost  about  as  much  as  hot  water  systems, 
while  an  ordinary  steam  heating  system  costs  about  25  per 
cent  less  than  a hot  water  system. 

The  American  Radiator  Company  offers  a vacuum  sys- 
tem of  steam  heating.  Special  valves  are  used  which  let  out 
the  air  but  prevent  its  return.  After  the  system  is  once  full 
of  steam,  condensation  produces  a partial  vacuum  and  the 
water  in  the  boiler  continues  to  boil  much  below  the 
ordinary  boiling  temperature,  2120  F.  This  arrangement 
makes  it  easier  to  heat  the  house  to  desired  temperature  in 
mild  weather. 

There  are  a number  of  pressure  hot  water  systems.  In 
these  a column  of  mercury  is  introduced,  which  permits  the 
temperature  of  the  water  to  be  raised  above  the  usual  boil- 
ing point  without  boiling.  When  the  water  is  at  high  tem- 
perature the  circulation  is  more  rapid,  so  that  in  this  system 
smaller  pipes  are  used,  which  lessens  the  cost  of  piping  and 
lessens  the  quantity  of  water  in  the  system.  This  the  manu- 
facturer claims  to  be  a great  advantage,  as  there  is  a less 
volume  of  water  to  heat,  so  that  the  heat  may  be  raised 
more  quickly  when  desired.  It  costs  slightly  less  to  install 
a pressure  hot  water  system. 

There  are  a number  of  automatic  temperature  regulators 
on  the  market  which  by  means  of  a thermostat  in  the 
various  rooms  controls  the  draft  and  fire  and  so  the  tem- 
perature. This,  the  manufacturers  claim,  reduces  the  quan- 
tity of  fuel  used  and  gives  greater  comfort  in  the  house. 

We  notice  a device  on  the  market  for  turning  on  the 
draft  of  heater  or  furnace  early  in  the  morning  which  sells 

61 


for  $5.00.  It  is  controlled  by  an  alarm  clock.  Anyone  with 
a little  ingenuity  can  construct  a home-made  device  to  give 
similar  service. 

GARBAGE  DISPOSAL 

Probably  not  one-third  of  those  who  receive  this  Bulletin 
have  the  advantage  of  any  adequate  municipal  garbage 
removal  service.  Various  methods  for  the  sanitary  disposal 
of  garbage  are  given  in  Household  Hygiene . 

Among  the  newer  appliances  for  garbage  disposal  is  “The 


STEPHENSON  UNDERGROUND  GARBAGE  RECEIVER 

Incinerite,”  which  is  a small  iron  stove  containing  various 
grates  and  gas  burners.  It  is  intended  to  be  placed  in  the 
kitchen  and  connected  with  the  kitchen  chimney  flue.  All 
the  kitchen  garbage  is  placed  directly  in  the  Incinerite  and 
a small  gas  flame  slowly  drys  out  the  contents.  Occasionally 
the  full  supply  of  gas  is  turned  on  and  everything  is  con- 
sumed at  high  temperature  without  producing  disagreeable 
odors.  Unfortunately,  the  Incinerite  is  priced  at  from 
$85.00  to  $125.00,  which  seems  too  high. 

One  of  the  advantages  of  the  coal  range  is  that  much  of 
the  garbage  can  be  placed  under  the  lid  next  to  the  fire, 
where  it  will  gradually  dry  out  and  burn,  leaving  little  ash. 

For  burning  papers  and  light  refuse  there  is  nothing  bet- 
ter than  the  refuse  burners  made  of  heavy  wire  mesh. 
They  are  cylindrical  in  shape  and  have  a wire  cover  and 
wire  bottom  raised  a few  inches  above  the  ground.  This 
makes  the  combustion  complete,  and  the  papers  and  light 

62 


refuse  are  confined  so  that  the  partially  burnt  papers,  etc., 
do  not  blow  all  over  the  premises.  These  refuse  burners 
will  dispose  of  a small  amount  of  fairly  dry  garbage.  Tin 
cans  can  be  put  in  with  the  paper  and  while,  unfortunately, 
they  are  not  consumed,  the  labels,  tin  and  solder  are  burned 
off,  so  that  the  cans  can  easily  be  flattened,  or  if  they  are 
buried  in  the  earth  they  rust  very  quickly. 

The  remaining  garbage  if  not  fed  to  chickens  or  hogs 
may  be  buried  in  the  earth,  which  soon  decomposes  if  not 
buried  too  deeply. 


SHARP  ROTARY  ASII  RECEIVER 


For  the  collection  of  garbage  the  Stephenson  Under- 
ground Garbage  Receiver  is  much  to  be  preferred  to  any 
ordinary  garbage  can,  which  is  an  unsanitary  nuisance  and 
unsightly.  This  appliance  consists  of  a cast-iron  receptacle 
which  receives  the  garbage  can,  a hinged  cover  so  that  the 
pail  may  be  removed,  and  another  hinged  cover  opened  by 
the  foot  through  which  the  garbage  from  the  kitchen  is 
dumped.  A hole  is  dug  in  the  earth  near  the  kitchen  door 
and  the  whole  affair  sunk  to  the  level  of  the  ground.  The 
same  arrangement  may  be  used  for  ashes.  The  prices  range 
from  $12.75  t°  $21.00,  according  to  size,  with  freight 
charges  extra  from  Lynn,  Mass. 

Another  admirable  appliance  for  receiving  ashes  is  the 
Sharp  Rotary  Ash  Receiver,  which  is  placed  in  the  cellar 
floor,  in  part  under  the  ash  pit  of  heater.  This  apparatus 
contains  either  eight  or  twelve  good  sized  ash  cans  arranged 
in  a circle,  and  it  is  so  constructed  that  as  the  cans  become 

63 


full  the  apparatus  is  rotated  so  that  an  empty  can  conies 
under  the  heater.  There  is  a hole  or  grill  in  the  floor  of  the 
ash  pit  through  which  the  ashes  are  very  easily  pushed  into 
receivers,  thus  eliminating  all  the  dust  from  shoveling  ashes. 

The  eight-can  receiver  will  take  about  three  months’  pro- 
duction of  ashes  in  the  ordinary  household,  and  the  twelve- 
can  about  four  months,  so  that  the  ashes  need  be  removed 
only  about  twice  a season. 

THE  TUNGSTEN  LAMP 

A recent  development  in  electric  lighting  is  an  incandes- 
cent lamp  having  a filament  of  the  oxides  of  tungsten,  in 
place  of  the  usual  carbon  filament.  They  give  much  more 
light  for  the  current  used;  a 32-candle  power  Tungsten 
lamp  requires  40  watts  per  hour,  while  at  16-candle  power 
old  style  lamp  takes  55  watts.  A 20-candle  power  Tungsten 
lamp  uses  25  watts.  They  can  be  used  best  when  the  lights 
are  turned  cn  by  a wall  switch,  for  the  filament  is  easily 
broken.  These  1 mps  cost  extra,  but  i not  broken  save 
their  cost  many  times.  They  have  about  the  same  “life”  as 
a carbon  filament  lamp — 1,000  lighting  hours. 

With  these  high  power  lamps  it  is  customary  to  use  globes 
of  “Holophane”  glass.  These  are  prism  shades  and  dis- 
tribute the  light  where  it  is  wanted. 

MISCELLANEOUS 

Many  household  appliances  have  not  been  • mentioned, 
especially  small  devices  for  the  kitchen.  See  Household 
Management , pages  105  and  195,  Principles  of  Cooking , 
page  161,  and  Lessons  in  Cooking,  page  253.  Kitchen 
cabinets  are  too  common  to  need  more  than  a passing  men- 
tion. They  are  especially  useful  in  a large,  poorly  arranged 
kitchen.  In  prices  they  range  from  $10.00  to  $40.00. 

We  have  had  several  inquiries  for  pastry  bags  used  in 
cake  decorating,  for  potato,  mayonnaise,  etc.  These  con- 
sist of  a rubber  bag  with  nozzles  having  various  shaped 
openings.  A set  of  twelve  and  the  rubber  bag  costs  $1.50; 
the  bag  alone  60  cents  and  the  tubes  10  to  15  cents  each. 
Timbale  irons  cost  about  $1.00  each,  and  rosette  irons  50 
cents  for  a set  of  two. 

Further  details  in  regard  to  Household  Appliances  will  be 
sent  on  request  to  members  of  the  School,  or  to  others  if 
stamps  are  enclosed.  If  not  obtainable  locally,  appliances 
may  be  obtained  through  the  Purchasing  Department  of  the 
School.  64 


